Opening of Closed Hearts
by at8c
Summary: When Stephanie's life crashes into that of Ranger's and the Merry Men's lives what will happen? Will she be able to open their closed darkened biased hearts? Will she win the man or will his darken past be more than she can handle? Will they accept her?
1. Chapter 1

**The Opening of Closed Hearts**

**When Stephanie's life crashes into that of Ranger's and the Merry Men's lives what will happen? Will she be able to open their closed darkened biased hearts? Will she win the man or will his darken past be more than she can handle? **

**Little to no Morelli but what little bit of him will be in the story he may get bumped a little bit but it won't be too hard. For the most part he is a non player in the story…at least that is my plan right now. I will let you know if that changes.**

**I hope you enjoy the new story!**

Chapter 1: The Hunger

Six dollars ninety cents that is the total amount in my checking account, that's all the money I have to my name. I drop my head down on the table one of the last pieces of furniture in my now baron home. I wanted to cry but I couldn't.

I had a stack of bills in front of me. Cable, Phone, electric, water, car payment, various credit cards the funny part was I no longer had cable, or a phone, and of this morning I no longer had electric I was pretty certain that with another missed payment I wasn't going to have a car, or water either.

The electric didn't matter. It wasn't like I actually had anything in the refrigerator or freezer and I didn't have a TV, no food to cook so I could live without lights. I had plenty of candles.

It wasn't that I was intentionally not paying my bills. I had been doing really well for myself up until about six months ago. I had been able to buy a brand new car, live in a decent little rental home, have a couple of credit cards one from Macy's and one Visa. My balance was never high but that was before six months ago. Now the Visa was maxed out.

The Macy's card was the only one that had any room on it and that was only because you couldn't buy groceries, gas, or pay bills with the Macy's card which I had done with the Visa in hopes that things would turn around; they hadn't. My credit card shut me down two months ago because I hadn't been able to pay the bill. I guess I should be lucky for the other months when it kept things going but that had stopped.

Groceries were another thing I didn't have. I wasn't sure the last true meal I had. I was down to my last box of crackers, the peanut butter had long run out and I hadn't had the money to replace it. The prices of peanut butter these days, I didn't have that luxury.

My clothes are hanging off of me and the only reason my jeans stay up is the belt that is cinched around my waist. So far I had managed to pay my rent by selling everything I ever had. The couch and the TV were the first to go because they were nicest pieces of furniture I owned and I could get a decent amount for them. I then sold my bed; mattress and box springs included. I wasn't sure I understood them wanting my mattress and box springs I hadn't counted on that but when they offered me money for them I couldn't turn them down. I needed the money so I accepted and sold them. I borrowed an air mattress from my mother. Telling her I had a friend that was staying with me for a night or two; a lie.

Since then I had been sleeping on an air mattress although right now I was seriously considering how much I could get for it. I had already hocked the Microwave, the shelves in the living room, I sold everything and anything I had that someone was willing to buy.

My clothing, I sold all my suits, my designer jeans, my shoe collection all gone. I wanted to cry that day but I couldn't. I refused to feel sorry for myself but even I was losing the battle with that. The table and chairs, my last possessions, belonged to my grandmother who had given them to me when I moved into my little rental home and I really didn't want to sell them. This table held so many special memories for me.

All I need to do is close my eyes and I can see myself sitting in my grandmother's kitchen when I was just a little girl watching her fix my breakfast smelling the bacon or sausage frying her laughter at whatever had amused her. Watching her work amazed me as a kid. I always knew she would have my peach preserves with every meal. She grew the peaches on her tree, made the preserves, canned it and I felt like she did it more for me than anyone else; she knew how much I loved it. There were lots of good memories of her, and grandpa at this table.

I knew those memories wouldn't disappear if I sold the table but there was something in me that just hadn't been able to give it up at least not yet. The day may come but I was trying to hold on to one thing.

I sat the Visa, and the Macy's bill aside. I knew I wouldn't have the money to pay those regardless. I sat the phone bill along with the cable bill aside. I set the electric bill aside it wasn't as though I needed to pay for something I didn't have. I would never make the money to pay what was owed then pay the fees to have them turn the service back on.

I hadn't had a phone for the past month nor had I had cable since before that. These were bills that I owed from where I stopped being able to pay prior to them cutting off the service. I figured what else could they do sue me? Well you can't get blood from a turnip. So hopefully they wouldn't waste their time.

Rent would be due in less than a week and I knew there was no way I would be able to sell enough even with the table to pay it. I didn't have anything else to sell; it had already been sold. What was left was personal stuff like pictures, or trinkets no one wanted. I would be evicted. Well at least I wouldn't have much to move when the day came. It wasn't if the day came it was when at this point because there was no more money.

My stomach growled loudly and I briefly thought what I wouldn't do to sink my teeth into a big juicy fattening burger but even on the dollar menu at McDonalds I couldn't afford it. I sighed getting up from the table walking into the kitchen I grabbed the box of crackers that was the only thing in the cabinet. Reaching in I pulled out the sleeve and picked two crackers out. It would have to do it was ration time here. It had already been ration time around here but now it was serious there was no more food and no more money to buy more. This box of crackers was going to have to last me.

I could go to my parent's but I really didn't want my mother seeing me not the way I was looking. She would know something was wrong and I would have to hear about how other daughters didn't do this. Like this was a choice for me. So I knew it would mean that I was hungrier than I have ever been in my life but I made the decision to avoid going as much as I could. At some point I was sure the hunger would take over and force me there but until then I would continue to avoid going.

I had tried to find a job, searching and applying in every business that had any need for any work at this point in my life nothing was too good for me to do. I would do any job. I desperately needed the money but no one was hiring me. Either they weren't hiring period or I wasn't qualified or I was too qualified there was always some reason.

See my name is Stephanie Plum. I use to be a buyer at E.E. Martin Lingerie that was up until about six months ago when they closed due to fraudulent business practices by the owner. So it was one of those all suffer from the greediness and stupidity of one. I had enough savings for the first two months but when I wasn't able to land a new job in that time frame I started suffering and it got worse and worse with every passing month.

This month, being the worst of all of them. If I was able to somehow survive this month I would never survive next month not without finding a job and even finding a job now unless it paid well I would still be struggling to hold on to the rental home.

I am twenty-nine unmarried, no boyfriend, and on the verge of being homeless. My life definitely needed some happy. I deserved some happy well at least I felt like I did. I wasn't completely unattractive but every man I selected in my life turned out to be a big piece of flaming dog shit. So I had sort of given up on the whole notion of finding a man and settling down. I might as well as give up on the hope of just finding a hot guy for a hot night of sex because that hadn't happened in like forever. And as long as I had no bed, no mattress, and no box springs that wasn't going to happen either. I mean how sexy would it be to say come fuck me on my air mattress oh and try not to pop it?

I briefly wondered if I shouldn't just join the church and make God my husband by becoming a nun it wasn't like I was getting any action anyway and they had a place to live meals provided warm water for showers I mean could it really be that difficult, right? My mom would be happy because she could say I was married albeit my husband lived in your hearts and not in human form on earth. She could say it. Somehow I didn't see that actually working for her as well as it was sounding to me right now.

My stomach growling loudly pulled me out of my crazy almost psychotic thoughts that I blame on the hunger at this point. I pulled two more crackers out of the sleeve while I tried to reason with my stomach. It had to be happy with this because there wasn't money for anything else. If I didn't ration these then I would be completely out of food and forced to have to go to my parent's house.

It wasn't that they were so bad but I would just rather not go there. I didn't need to hear today or ever again that I was a disappointment to my mom. I knew it. I had heard it many times.

I was a disappointment to her because here I was twenty-nine years old not married, no children, no white picket fenced house with a dog. The reason I didn't want to go around her was because I was becoming a disappointment to myself because I was beginning to think I needed a husband to care for me, put a roof over my head, provide food for me. I was beginning to believe that I needed a husband to survive and that scared the shit out of me.

If I went around her with these thoughts in my head it would be disastrous she would hook me up with the first person she could find that she thought was worthy and her opinions of me lately that would be the smelly guy that cuts the meats behind the counter at the local deli; yuck.

My stomach once again growls loudly and I get up and fill a glass with water. At least I still had water at this point; it wouldn't last. Hoping to trick my stomach into believing it was full if I could fill it with water. I knew it wasn't going to work hell that trick never worked. Maybe it would work this time who knew it was worth the chance.

I pulled the ad for job listings and there wasn't much to be had. I circled a few that sounded good and made a note that tomorrow would be spent filling out job applications on the last few gallons of gas in my car. Once I was out of gas I would no longer be able to drive and have to either walk or use public transportation to get around. The only problem with public transportation was that it wasn't free and well I had about one trip with what was in my checking account. I wasn't even sure if that trip would be round trip. I doubted it.

I dropped my head down bumping it against the table I wanted to say why me but that reminded me of something my mother would have said so I refrained. I wanted to cry I felt like crying but I couldn't cry the tears just wouldn't come.

My stomach growled loudly again and I decided change of scenery was called for so I got up from the table and walked into my bedroom where I crashed on my air mattress. I pulled my knees into my chest and wrapped my arms around them laying my head on the pillow forming a ball. It didn't stop the hunger but hopefully I would be able to ignore it for at least a few hours until dinner time when I could have two more crackers.

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	2. Chapter 2 FUBAR Missions

**Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! For those that have Private messages turned off that left Reviews thank you for the reviews! I love reading every one of them so keep them coming.**

**I want to Thank Margaret Fowler for encouraging this story out of me. When I mentioned it to you 6 – 7 months ago you didn't let it die in my head. You kept pressing for it so here it is finally being written!**

**Standard Disclaimer: These are not my characters, they belong to Janet. I just enjoy playing with them!**

**Chapter 2: FUBAR Missions**

**RPOV**

What a fucked up FUBAR mission this past mission had been. I am finally back in the states in Washington and I still haven't been able to sleep. I go to the debriefing tomorrow and then hopefully I can make my way back to Trenton. This shit is getting old.

I am currently lying in bed drenched in sweat from a fucking nightmare. It has been the third one since the mission I can't get it out of my fucking head. I want to exercise I want to pound the fuck out of a punching bag to forget it and put it away with all the other nightmares but I can't do that right now. I am to remain in the hotel room until the debriefing. Those are the rules.

Until we are debriefed we are considered too dangerous to be around civilians. Like a fucking debriefing all of a sudden makes us less dangerous. The idea is that we have talked about what happened, we have come to terms with what happened and we can move on. The only thing they didn't know is this mission no amount of debriefing would have someone moving on. It was the mission that only time, structure, and control dealt with the demons. The quicker I could get back to my normal routine the quicker I could chase the demons of this mission away.

I was sent to track down and kill a human trafficketer I was to dismantle his whole operation. I was told the facilities were currently empty that he had moved the women and that a separate unit was going into retrieve the women; I came to determine were all lies.

I agreed because I always agreed the money was good for Rangeman and it allowed the monster within me to come out and play. Some would say I was sick, maybe I am. But I am a soldier, a killer and I am the best at what I do. There is no more soft side to me there is solider and leader. I don't pretend to be what I am not nor do I have any problems with who I am.

I run a security company, Rangeman, I have men that work for me that know me for who I am. These missions give me the opportunity to be the man I am; the killer. I kill people on the government's dime and I am paid well for it. I tell myself that they are the bad people they are the enemies but in the end I know it doesn't really matter to me. It isn't like I judge them. I am told to kill them so I do it.

I could blame the Army for making me the man I am but honestly they aren't to blame. They were just the tool. They were just a means for me to be the man I am. I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it, didn't want to do it. That isn't the case I love the hunt, I love the chase, and I love the kill.

I am not sick in that I don't kill innocents well I try not to kill innocents and I try to protect those that can't protect themselves at least I tell myself that giving me the reasons behind why I do what I do. That was all true, up until this FUBAR of a fucking mission.

It was easy killing the leader, he, I didn't even think twice about. I have always believed to kill the snake you cut the head off so to kill his operation I cut the head off of the snake by taking out the leader. I went to destroy the facility where the girls were housed and as I rigged it with explosives I heard something. On the top floor it was a floor with girls. All chained to beds. All in varying degrees of health some you could tell were so high they didn't know who or where they were. Others were more lucid. All were starving. I walked into the room and all of them that were able to focus on me their eyes widened in fear.

Some appeared beaten and all were broken to some degree. I radioed for extraction to get help for the girls and was denied. I was told to stick to the planned mission. I knew local police weren't going to help hell they were already turning a blind eye not to mention what they would do to me if they found me in their country.

I was on borrowed time it would only be a short time before his men would be at the facility. I had to make a decision. I quickly un-cuffed the girls some were begging me to have sex with them telling me they were good I suspected this had been trained in them. Rage filled me as thoughts of what he and his men had done to these women in this room and the thousands that came before them. I decided his death came too easy.

Some of the women weren't able to stand and walk; the few that were able to stand and walk I knew would never make it where they would be safe but it was all they had.

They begged me for help, they pleaded with me to help them. For many I knew there was no way to help them. There was nothing I could do for them. Without sending in backup which I had been refused there was no help.

I ushered the ones that could walk out of the room out of the building to the woods and told them to get as far away as they could. I hated it but it was the best I could offer. If I brought them to the extraction spot they wouldn't be allowed on the chopper.

I went back into the building and doing the only humane thing I could think of I put all of the rest of the women out of their misery. I shot each of the women in the head as they begged for me to help them. What they didn't understand was that I was helping them the best I could. The building was rigged to blow but I didn't know if that would end their life and I wouldn't allow them to suffer. I know it is fine hairs but at least this way I knew they were dead before I blew the building and didn't have to wonder if they were lying in the debris suffering. So I did it as much for me as I rationalized it was for them.

The monster in me didn't relish in these deaths it screamed because of them and it made me want to take out revenge for their lives on every one who had signed off on this mission on the person who had denied my request for help. It enraged me.

I had put my silencer on my weapon I didn't need to scare these women anymore than they already were. I came to this woman. I held her head up looking into her eyes I felt like they deserved that much from me if I was killing them. They deserved to die respectfully. Her eyes bored into mine bright blue, her brown hair curly. I could see fear in her eyes and when I put the gun to her head she spoke. She thanked me for helping her. I was shocked. She should be begging me not to pull the trigger not to kill her but she was thanking me for doing it.

She nudged me to bring me back to my task and nodded her head smiling at me. I nodded back and pulled the trigger giving her what she wanted. I vowed that someone would fucking pay for her life, for her begging me for her death. I would make sure that someone paid for those women's lives that I was forced to take.

I finished my task but I waited to blow the building. This hadn't been in the plan as I was to make my extraction point but I waited until the building was full of his men and then I fucking pulled it. I blew it. I felt a little better but there were still more to fucking make pay for what happened there that day.

I had to huff it to my extraction point and if it hadn't been that I was highly trained and capable of double timing it in a jungle I would have never made it but I made it.

Now here I fucking sit in this hotel room like a caged animal until the powers that be felt I was ready for my debriefing. It wasn't that I needed to be ready this time it was them that should be fucking ready. This was their fucking fault and I meant that I would get my revenge. Fuck the money. I didn't need it. Rangeman didn't need it we were a multimillion dollar company without these fucking missions.

They were going to pay for this mission I just wasn't sure exactly how.

I got up out of the bed walked into the bathroom and stepped into the shower to wash away the layer of sweat that had built up on my body. I knew it would be a failed attempt to wash off the memories left behind they would take more time than any shower would ever allow.

It was pushing zero six hundred when I walked out of the bathroom. I knew it wouldn't be long before I would be summoned into the debriefing. I had yet to make up my mind what I was going to do but it was going to be something that they wouldn't soon forget.

I wouldn't allow them to put me in those positions and not retaliate against them. They would learn that while I followed their orders I wasn't to be fucked with and they had fucked with me. They had fucked with the monster within me and they would fucking pay for it.

**Let me know your thoughts…Leave a Review…tell me what you think about Ranger!**


	3. Chapter 3: Oh What a Day!

**Standard disclaimer: The characters belong to JE I only take them out and play with them, before returning them to her, hopefully unharmed!**

**Thanks Margret for all the support for this story! Thank you to everyone who left a review that has your private messages turned off. I read everyone. I try to reply to them all as well. So keep the reviews coming!**

**Chapter 3: Oh what a day!**

**SPOV**

Another day! I sat down at the table with a glass of water and two crackers and I look at the balance of my check book one more time. Thinking maybe the numbers decided to multiply while I slept but that was only wishful thinking. Six ninety was still all that was left in my checking account.

I picked up the paper and looked at the help wanted section. I could drive to downtown Trenton and then walk to several of the businesses. That would save a little gas. I wasn't sure how much I had left in the tank but I knew once the tank was empty there would be no more not unless I got one of these jobs and they were willing to advance me on my salary.

I got up from the table and made my way to the bathroom. I took a cold shower, shaved, tamed my wild curls as best I could without a hair dryer, and put on some makeup at least I hadn't ran out of makeup; yet. I was down to the stuff I had purchased and didn't really like but at least it was better than nothing. I dressed in the only business suit I hadn't sold and pulled on the only pair of heels I held out from my shoe collection.

The suit hung on me and I had to pull a belt around the waist to hold the skirt up on me. I then left the shirt out and pulled the jacket that hung on me like something a homeless person would wear. It wasn't too far from the truth. It was only a matter of days before I would be homeless if I didn't get one of these jobs.

I picked up the paper grabbed my purse and headed out the door determined that today I would get one of these jobs. I needed one of these jobs.

I drove to the center of downtown found parking where I didn't have to pay I had two hour free parking. I felt like that had to be a sign my day was going to be good I never got this lucky parking. But knowing my true luck I only hoped I could get all the applications done in that time. The last thing I needed was a ticket on top of everything else I couldn't already pay.

I walked into the first business it was a lawyer that needed an assistant. I asked for an application and the receptionist handed me an application while looking down her nose at me. I couldn't help but think how fun it would be to work here; not. But I couldn't afford to let feelings like those get in my way; I needed a job.

I sat down and filled the application out. I went back and handed it to the receptionist she took it from me and gave me a half smile. "Is there someone who I could speak to concerning the job and my application?" I asked her. She shook her head no.

"No, that isn't how they do things here. Here they review your application and if they think you are a good fit they will call you in for an interview." She said. I smiled back at her and nodded. Again I felt like crying when I walked out of the office because I would doubt that my application would even make it to the person who was to review them with the way the receptionist was looking at me.

I walked down to the next business it was a clothing store I walked in and instantly was ashamed of how I looked. I walked up to one of the ladies and ask if I could have one of their applications. She looked at me and her eyes widened as she took in my clothing. She handed me an application I suspected mainly because she was required to more than she wanted to. I admit the suit didn't fit me but it was clean, I was clean, my makeup was normal it wasn't like I was that bad.

I walked out of the building my head hung down. Today wasn't my day as I had so hoped it was I then gave second thought to that ticket and checked the time. I wanted to scream at the judgmental bitches but I knew it was useless. I knew it wouldn't help my case or help me actually to get a job but it would help my anger at the moment.

I lifted my head and moved on to the next place it was a doctor's office that needed a secretary. I walked into the office and the lady at the window was at least nice to me and smiled at me. I sat in the lobby and field out the application and handed it back to the lady at the window. I walked out of the office actually smiling; my first of the day.

I still had several other businesses to fill out applications for. I would definitely get my exercise today, not that I needed exercise, but I didn't have money to burn gas; so walking it was. My stomach was growling and when I walked by a café my mouth watered at the smells. I had packed a couple of crackers to eat while I was out today but with the smells from the restaurants and all of the walking I was doing those crackers were severely lacking.

I wanted something to drink so bad but I knew if I walked into a restaurant to get a water that I would end up buying food I couldn't afford so I pressed on focused on putting one foot in front of the other until I reached my destination. The last I needed was an overdrawn checking account and no income. I was pretty certain that was merit for being put in jail or something along those lines.

This was a small accounting firm that needed a receptionist. I walked in and there was a woman behind the desk smiling. I thought this was promising. I walked up to her "hi, I would like to fill out an application for the job you are advertising for." I explained smiling at her.

She handed me the application and I once again I sat in the lobby to fill it out. When I went to hand my application to the woman there was a man standing beside her desk. He was slightly older but I wouldn't classify him as old. He had brown eyes, his dark hair was sort of slick with gel which I am sure held every strand in place unlike mine.

He smiled at me and I smiled back. I handed the woman the application and the man took it from her. I started to turn to walk out when the man spoke. "Ms. Plum so you are interested in working here?" He asked me and at first I wanted to go with the obvious, I mean I filled out an application; but I refrained.

"Yes, Mr?" I questioned hoping he would tell me his name.

He smiled "Mr. Saunders" he said filling in the blanks. So that must be Saunders to go with Mitchell and Saunders he was one of the partners.

"Nice to meet you Mr. Saunders" I said as I turned back around to him extending my hand to shake. He took my hand and I resisted the urge to pull away from him. I tried to tell myself to let it go bad feeling or not I needed a job and if this man was willing to hire me then just let it go and take the damn job. I needed the money.

"Ms. Plum I have a few minutes if you would like we can talk about this in my office." He said and I once again reminded myself just how much I needed a job. I nodded he motioned for me to follow him and so I followed. He made his way through the hallway and I could tell that the firm was definitely a profitable firm. The office appeared to be professionally decorated and it was expensive. Not a penny spared on its decorations.

We finally reached his office walking in it was a breathtaking the office had glass on one side that looked out over the downtown area of Trenton. The Furniture was dark wood and leather and once again screamed expensive and money.

I went to sit down in one of the chairs sitting on the opposite side of his desk but he stopped me and motioned for me to sit on the end of the couch. He then sat in the chair just to my right. I suddenly felt uncomfortable but I once again told myself how much I needed this job. How much I needed any job. It was to the point that it was either find a job or starve and be homeless on the streets of Trenton.

"Ms. Plum can I get you something to drink?" He asked me and I wanted desperately to say yes but I shook my head no instead not really being comfortable with anything he would give me.

"No thank you Mr. Saunders I am fine." I told him. I didn't want to feel like I was trying to freeload or that I was desperate although he could probably look at me and tell that. It wasn't like I looked like I was at my best. It wouldn't take a genius to see my sunken cheekbones, my clothes practically falling off of me to see that I was desperate.

He nodded. "Ms. Plum I understand you want to come work here but I wanted to see exactly how serious you were about working here." He said and I briefly wondered what it was he wanted to know. I mean I wanted the job. I was serious about it because one I needed a job and two I needed the money. Would this place be my first pick, no, but I was desperate.

I didn't comment I waited to see what he was going to say next. He moved closer to me and I began to feel like maybe he was going to want more than I was willing to give for any job. I may be desperate, I may be starving, I may be homeless soon but there were still limits to what I was going to be willing to do in order to work here or anywhere for that matter.

He reached out and touched my hair and I felt the urge to pull away from him but I tried to stand my ground and not show any fear. Fear had started to bubble in me and my stomach felt like there were thousand butterflies in it but not the good kind these were evil butterflies that made me feel like I needed to desperately find a bathroom because the crackers I had were coming back up. I swallowed the bile and bitter acid back down burning my throat and I was really sorry I hadn't taken him up on his offer for something to drink but somehow I think in the end that would have only made things worse.

He fisted his hand in my hair and I did pull back but he had a handful of my hair. I could see a strange look in his face and the fear within me rose higher. "Stephanie how much do you want a job. I can guarantee you a job, a job that pays well, where you will be taken care of provided you go above and beyond to see that my needs are met." He said and bile rose further in my throat until some of it came up in my mouth and I struggled to swallow it back down instead of spitting it out.

"Mr. Saunders I am not sure you understand. If I got the job with your firm I would only do the things required by my job and what you are insinuating here wouldn't happen. I think you have miss understood something here." I told him trying to make him understood there was a line I wasn't going to cross.

"He pulled me closer to him and I put my hand against him to push him away." It was futile but I was pushing holding him at bay.

"Stephanie I think you have misunderstood something here, not me. If you want the job you have to be willing to take care of my needs both professionally and personally. It's the only way you will get the job and you do want the job, right?" He questioned me grabbing my hand and running it up the front of his pants so I could feel his hardened penis.

"See like right now I have needs and if you worked here I would have you under that desk taking care of my needs while I worked on a client's account." He said matter of fact as if that happened on a daily basis just as part of everyday business like running copies at the copier.

"Mr. Saunders I can assure that will never happen. I won't be working here if that is a requirement." I told him forcefully letting him know in no uncertain terms that I wouldn't be willing to do those things with him. I tried jerking my hand away from him.

His hand tightened in my hair as he pulled me to him closer his other hand grabbing my hip his fingers digging into me. Even with the skirt as a protective layer between me and his hand I could tell his hand and fingers would leave marks on my skin.

I pushed him trying to create space between us but he was stronger than me and I wasn't able to break the hold he had on me. The more I pushed the more bruising his hand and fingers were becoming. Panic and fear rose up in me. I doubted if I screamed if anyone would come to my rescue. If he treated me like this I couldn't imagine how the others who worked in this firm were treated.

I would rather starve to death than work here. I was desperate for a job but not that desperate that I would consider having sex, in any form, with this man. "Mr. Saunders let me go. I don't want this, I don't want you holding on to me, and I don't want to take you up on any offers including working here for you." I said to him impressed with how my voice sounded stronger and braver than I was actually feeling at the moment.

"Stephanie that is disappointing. I thought we would be able to work together. I thought we would make a good pair." He said holding me to him. I shook my head in disagreement to his statement.

"Seriously Stephanie have you been able to find a Job anywhere else? Think about it I am handing you a job, with a good salary, benefits, and a little fun on the side." He said it like it was a win win situation for everyone; not.

I struggled but he had yet to let me go and my energy reserves were running low. I couldn't give in but it was painfully clear how weak I had gotten over the past several months of not eating. Mr. Saunders wasn't a small man but it wasn't because he was the picture of health. It was more because he was probably a double whopper with cheese burger a day added with value size fries and more than likely a jumbo coke and that was just one of his meals for the day.

He had two hundred pounds on me and most of those two hundred pounds were in his stomach, chin, and fat fingers on his fat hands. His round face slightly redden due to his blood pressure which was probably pushing closer to two hundred than the normal range. He was balding with the top of his head white and shiny with average length dark strands of hair covering the sides and back. There was some mixed in gray. He wasn't an attractive man but he wasn't someone you would look at revolt from either although his actions definitely would cause on to revolt.

He probably had thirty years on me not that it mattered in my decision to not work for him or do the things he was proposing but it did add to the gross factor that he was asking someone young enough to be his daughter. Hell I could be younger than his daughter if he has a daughter; gross.

"Mr. Saunders you need to let me go. If you don't let me go right now I am going to call the police." I told him. It wasn't exactly an idol threat but I really hoped it didn't come to that. I really didn't want to have to take it there but at this point unless he let me go he was taking it there.

"Stephanie I don't think you want to involve the police. All we are doing is negotiating a working agreement. Think of it as negotiating the parameters of your employment status. Besides if you involve the police I will just have to tell them how you threatened me to give you a job and you offered up services unbecoming a lady to get the job." He was going to turn this around on me if I involved the police.

"I think we both know who the proposition came from and I think we both know I turned it down." I told him both my anger and fear rising in me. I was beginning to feel like a trapped animal. This wasn't going to end well for either of us. I had already given up the hope of working here. I just needed to find a way to get out of this office.

"Semantics baby you say you turned me down I say you came on to me and I had to turn you down and then involve the police. See how that works? Your word against mine, no cop is going to believe your word over mine." He said. I didn't know if he was right or not but I didn't want to risk finding out. I didn't want to risk getting myself in trouble that I knew I would never be able to afford to get out of if it ended up working in his favor.

If he was willing to lie to the police he would press charges if there were any he could charge me with. I had no idea but I knew if he did I would be spending my nights and days in jail because there was definitely no money to bail me out of jail.

"Mr. Saunders please let's just pretend this never happened. Let me go now and I will walk out of this office, out of this building and I won't come back. I won't tell anyone what happened and neither one of us will have to be concerned with who the police will and won't believe." I tried to reason with him. I tried to make him see reason and let me go.

He shook his head no. "No Stephanie I think I want to test the waters if you are coming to work here for me I need to see how you perform." He said and fear jumped in me to the point my back bone shook from it. Damn this was not good. His grip tightened on me as he tried to pull me closer he lunged forward with his lips trying to kiss me, the way his mouth was opened he may have been trying to bite me I wasn't sure, but I blocked him and once again struggled more against his hold.

I wanted to run. I wanted to get away from him as fast and as far as I could. "Why did you go and do a thing like that Stephanie? If you would just give in this would be much more enjoyable for the both of us." Bile rose in my mouth at the thought of what he was implying. And I wanted to pray to God to save me to send my savior through the door. But I felt bad asking God for anything it wasn't like I was exactly an active church member. It wasn't as if we talked; ever. I felt bad asking him for something when I needed it.

Even though I needed a miracle right now to get out of this mess I didn't feel like asking God for it was necessarily the right thing to do.

He let some space appear between us and that was all I needed. This was going to hurt I thought a second before I raised my knee and sent it plowing into his balls. I hit him with all the force my weakened body could muster. He howled in pain and bent over releasing me so he could grab his balls and as soon as his hands were off of me I was running for all I had to the door.

I grabbed the door jerking it open hearing it bang against the wall or the door stop I didn't stop to look I continued running full speed well as fast as I could go until I was out of the door and on the sidewalk. I ran for my car I wanted to slow down I wanted to walk now that I was safely on the streets but the fear and anxiety in me wouldn't allow it. All I could do was run.

When my car came in sight I noticed a couple of things all at once. On the other side of the road was a tow truck. Not just any tow truck but according to the sign on the side of the tow truck it was a recovery company. I had no doubt it was here for my car because I knew I was late on my payments. One thing about cars you pay the monthly payment or they repo the vehicle. They were here to repo my vehicle. It must have been a lucky find as I don't typically come to this area.

He hadn't hooked to the vehicle yet and I was smart enough to know they can't tow a car with someone behind the wheel. So I ran for all I was worth my key in my hand and I jumped into the driver's seat. I didn't bother to look at the man who was here to repo my vehicle until after I had sat down in the driver's seat and finally had the key in the ignition.

The guy looked pissed and I just smiled. I knew he would get it eventually. I knew he would follow me and the second a parked it and walked away he would have it but I could possibly lose him and if that was the case then maybe I would have a few more days but I knew it wouldn't be long before they got the car.

I pulled away from the curb and the man had to jump back to keep from me hitting him but I wasn't about to talk to him. I had had enough confrontations today I was shaking from the fear, the anxiety, and the panic. All of those feelings pouring out of me now that I was in the safety of my own car you would think it would be better but it was actually getting worse. It was like I was now safe and my body could react in ways it didn't react during the incident.

I looked in the review mirror and saw the tow truck was following me. I sped up a little thinking I could maybe loose him. There were a lot of streets, intersections, and crossings that if I could get far enough ahead of him I could lose him in the downtown area. The company would have my house address so I couldn't park it there but I could possibly park it at a friend's house and have her drop me off at my house. I just needed to hide my car until I could find a job and pay what was due.

I sped up more when I noticed I wasn't losing the tow truck. I knew they were use to this and I knew they were good at what they did. I doubted that my plan was going to work but I was determined to give it my best shot. I wanted to cry my day had been bad. I had been assaulted, I had bruises from his touches on me and fear in me for what could have happened. I now was running from the repo man my two cracker allotment for lunch was long gone burned up from the energy of fighting off an attacker.

My body was shaking almost uncontrollably and my breathing was labored heavy and my stomach was choosing now to gnaw on itself. I sped up a little checking the review mirror damn he wasn't losing sight of me long enough for me to make a run for it. This was going to call for drastic measures.

I looked down at my speed and I was doing fifty miles an hour I knew this area was no more than a twenty-five speed limit being that it was the heart of downtown. Pedestrians everywhere and the streets always having a heavy volume of traffic warranted such limits. I could only hope there were no cops around. This would be a ticket I definitely couldn't afford.

Checking my rearview mirror again I decided that I would run the next light. There was no one in front of me right now and I knew by the time I reached the light it would be red as it had just turned yellow. I pressed down on the gas a little more when I got to the light I looked in the rear view mirror this should do it he had cars in front of him that would be stopped for the light and I would be able to slip away.

I heard a noise and then felt my car jerk as my head plowed into the driver's side window where I heard it crack and pieces of tiny glass rained down over my body, and legs. I felt my body jerk forward as my face and upper body collided with something it was soft but rough at the same time I felt it burn my cheek.

I still wasn't sure what happened as I watched things play out almost in slow motion. My head came to rest on the pillow and I could see the blood dripping down onto my lap from my face. I felt my body ache I tried to raise my arm but I couldn't. Pain shot through my body and I decided to leave well enough alone.

I took in the rumpled car around me but my brain wasn't able to process what had happened. I was so weak; the pain was so high, that I couldn't focus. My brain couldn't make sense of what was happening anymore than it could what had happened. Darkness was threatening as I felt my eyes flutter and my vision go dark only to return only to go dark again. It was sort of like the old black and white movies in the beginning of the film where it flashes that is what it felt like my vision was doing.

I took in a man; he looked like an angle standing at my door the sun behind him. He was large. Even with my eyes blinking trying to take in everything around me I could see he was beautiful. He looked dangerous I looked into his eyes and felt something c rack within me I felt a tear roll down my cheek. I opened my mouth but the only thing that came out was "help me" as my eyes closed and the lights went out.

**Tell me what you think….leave a review!**


	4. Chapter 4: Debriefing Gone Wrong

**Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! For those that have Private messages turned off that left Reviews thank you for the reviews! I love reading every one of them so keep them coming.**

**I want to Thank Margaret Fowler for encouraging this story out of me. When I mentioned it to you 6 – 7 months ago you didn't let it die in my head. You kept pressing for it so here it is finally being written! I hope it is everything you thought it would be.**

**Standard Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine. They belong to JE I just take them out of the box and play with them a little. I have begged to keep Ranger and Lester for myself but I have yet to get a response… :-)**

**Chapter 4: Debriefing gone wrong**

**RPOV**

These fuckers had fucked me over for the last time. I was waiting in my hotel room waiting for the call they were ready to see me. I was more than ready to see them. The Army trained me; the Rangers honed my skills turning me from the average soldier into a specialized soldier one who is a survivalist, and a killer. The government used that to their advantage and since I liked what it was I did I never questioned it. I just did what they told me killed who they told me.

Today however they were going to get a taste of what they had created. I was one of the world's most dangerous men. I would venture that there were none more deadly than me. Meaner maybe, more ruthless definitely but deadlier I doubted.

My game was never to kill innocents. If anything I prided myself on protecting the innocents. This mission they left me no choice and I had to kill innocent women. Women who had already been abused, beaten, drugged, raped, and forced to live through things that women their young age should have never been forced to endure. Because they refused my request I had no choice to kill them.

I guess I didn't have to pull the trigger point blank I could have just left them alive and blown the building not knowing what happened to them. But they had suffered enough and I wouldn't allow them to suffer further by being injured in the blast and forced to die a slow agonizing death they didn't deserve that on top of everything they had already been through. So I ended it for them painlessly when I knew there was no other solution.

I didn't enjoy those kills. I didn't relish in the satisfaction of those kills. In fact it was something quite the opposite I had yet to get the picture of each of those women's faces out of my head. It was like I kept playing them over and over. Some would say I was suffering from post traumatic stress from the mission going down like that. But I knew I wasn't.

I wanted revenge I wanted answers. I wanted to know why I was refused an extraction when I requested it. I wanted to know why I was refused support when I wanted it and asked for it. I wanted to know why I was forced to kill those women because the suits behind the desk couldn't or didn't feel the need to do their fucking job. Because it meant they may need to pick up the phone or send an email or be inconvenienced in some way. Who gave a fuck?

I was a product of their making and they were going to see what they had made if they refused to answer my questions. They were going to see exactly how deadly I am. The man they call when they need something done that they know no one else can do. The man they call when they need to take down the most ruthless of men because they know I will succeed. They know I never fail.

They had failed though when I called for support. They had let me down and they failed to have my back and that was unacceptable and inexcusable someone was going to answer and someone was going to fucking pay. My phone beeped giving me the single they were ready for me. Summoning me to them like they were some fucking shit they were about to find out what shit they really were and I was quite certain they weren't going to like what I was about to tell them. But I didn't give a fuck. I didn't like being refused either so the feeling would be mutual.

I made my way out of my room down the hall to the conference room I knew they would be waiting for me in. I pushed opened the door letting it bang on the wall behind it. I didn't give a fuck I wanted the fuckers to jump at my entrance. I wasn't disappointed.

I strode over to the table as if I was going to sit down but paused at the chair pushed up against the table. The others sat on the other side of table almost uncomfortably but they weren't coming on my side of the table they were all too chicken shit. It was good decision today it just might ensure I let them live.

"Mr. Manoso" one of the suits started with and I locked eyes with him my eyes narrowing at him using my last night instead of my street name. He was a fucking no body I wasn't even sure which division he was with but he was green when it came to my debriefings if he was going to address me than anything other than Ranger was unacceptable. I was Ranger to them. I would always be Ranger to them.

I wasn't Carlos, or Mr. Manoso and this fucker better get it right. The time was ticking on his life. I saw another one of the guys who had sit in on my debriefings look at him and he whispered something to him oh I heard him because my hearing is impeccable. He was telling him to address me as Ranger. I saw the guy nod.

"Ranger, please…" I wasn't in the mood for his please bull shit so I cut him off and got to the point I needed to make.

"Please nothing. I want answers. You all aren't going to get shit from me until I have answers. I want to know why I was denied the support and extraction I requested. I want to know why eight innocent women were sentenced to death for no reason they were victims and innocent in all of this." I said feeling the anger well up in me once again as their faces flashed before me landing last on the girl with the curly brown hair and startling blue eyes.

The General sat back along with my handler, a man I thought I could trust prior to this mission. They cleared their throat and the general spoke up.

"Ranger you know that isn't the point of this debriefing. This is so you can give us information as to your mission the mission you were assigned to do. We need details, and you need to tell us those details. Your questions about why things were the way they were is not material right now. If we choose to answer those questions we will after the debriefing but I doubt there will be a reason given you knew the mission when you accepted it and you went into that jungle. Now sit your ass down and do what we tell you to do soldier." He spit out at me getting louder and more forceful as his little pissy tirade went along.

"General I don't give a fuck about your stars be it two four or five. You know you have no hold over me. You know you have no control over me I am not longer active service. I do this job because I am the best, you come seek me out because you know there isn't anyone else who would take on these missions and succeed so don't hand me your line of shit and expect me to buy it. I will sit my ass down when I fucking feel like it and none of you in this room are fucking man enough to fucking make me so don't waste your fucking breath lobbing worthless fucking threats my way. Besides I don't do threaten you threaten me and you better fucking well be in a position to back it up and we all know you nor are any of the other men standing in this room able to back it up. So I suggest you don't threaten me, and tell me what I want to know." I told him letting the anger and the promises I as making seep out with the words I was saying like saliva dripping from a mad dog's mouth.

I continued. "I am going to ask one more time, why? You will answer my questions or you all will go to hell." I told them and I saw each of the men swallow their eyes widen from the fear they were feeling. They feared me they weren't stupid men. I was someone to be feared. I knew how to instill fear in people and I would be lying if I said that I didn't enjoy it because I did.

I loved smelling the fear you could smell it on them like stench on shit. You could see it on them their eyes wide, their mouths slightly agape, their foreheads shiny with newly formed sweat their breathing slightly shallow than before. It was all natural reactions to fear.

The General's face was red he was pissed but I didn't give a fuck. They needed me, I didn't need them. I needed answers and I wasn't leaving here until I had them. It all brought a smile to my inner monster.

"Ranger please sit down we can all discuss this like gentlemen" the General said and I narrowed my eyes at him again.

"oh we are going to discuss it alright, you are going to tell me what I want to know and you are going to tell me now or this meeting is over and I am heading back to Trenton and I fucking dare you all to call me again or make any contact with me or my business." I told them. I was ready to wash my hands of them. I needed to know I could trust them and this mission proved to me that I couldn't trust them.

"Son..." the general started to say but I cut him off.

"I am not your son." I said raising my head in the air looking down on him from his seated position.

He cleared his throat and nodded "Ranger, it was a state department matter. The state department hadn't notified the country that we had an operative in their country so there was no way we could send in support and carry out an extraction the way you requested that is why your request was refused." He said.

I looked at him probably longer than comfortable because I couldn't believe my ears. I was denied my request because some fucking suit at the state department didn't want to do his fucking job. The General continued.

"Ranger had we notified them they would have told your target and you would have been compromised. They would have been waiting for you and they would have probably killed you upon arrival so we chose to keep it off the grid for your safety." He tried to tell me.

I looked at the group of men before me and I couldn't help the feelings of disgust that rose up through me. They were pitiful excuses for human beings. "That may explain why you didn't do the advance notification but when I called for support and extraction things should have taken place at that point and help should have been sent." I told them.

I knew they had crews in an area close to where I was there really was no excuse.

"We didn't have support close enough for the time it would have taken us to get to you, they would have found you and killed you and the women anyway." The general told me.

"So you believe. I know you had support closer to me than you are implying don't piss down my back and tell me it is fucking raining General. It would have been my problem if I had been found; I could have dealt with it. I would have dealt with it. As is I had to take the lives of eight innocent women who had been beaten, raped, drugged, you name it. I had to end their lives because you left me no other choice. They were unable to walk they were unable to stand up without support so It wasn't like I could have carried all eight of them and gotten them to safety and to the care they needed. You know I wouldn't have called unless it was necessary and there were no other options." I spit out at him.

He shook his head. "It sounds like you had a tough decision but you did what you chose to do no one said you had to kill them." He spit back at me and I could see where he was going with this he was putting this shit back on me. That wasn't going to fucking happen.

"You gave me no fucking choice. You ordered the building to be fucking blown. I wasn't going to blow the building with them in it and leave them in whatever state they would have been left in to suffer more. You may hire me to kill but I am not a fucking monster. I don't kill innocents and I don't kill women at your fucking requests. You left me no choice this time because you didn't send me the help I fucking requested because your intel was shit. The building according to your intel was suppose to be fucking empty. Their lives are on your fucking head not mine." I told them my voice cold, deep, and dark. I was losing my fucking patience with them.

I breathed in through my nose trying to control myself. I was trying to reign in my temper that was threatening to break through my outward calm demeanor. I was pissed, I was mad, I was mad beyond what was safe for these fuckers and they had yet to realize that. Their comments, well the General's comments weren't helping them any.

Their chance of walking out of this room alive was growing slimmer each and every second he kept opening his dumb fucking mouth. I know he was a five star General and he on any other day deserved respect deserved to be treated like the General he was but today he didn't deserve that respect and with everyone of his comments it made it worse for me to look at him and think of him in a role as a superior to me or someone deserving of my respect.

"Ranger we told you to blow the building not kill the women that was your decision whatever issues you have with what you did are for you to work out." He said trying to split hairs.

"General I suggest you stop trying to cover your ass and give me the real reason you denied my request for the support. I suspect I know. You didn't want to have to deal with the women but I want you to be man enough to look me in the eye and fucking tell me that. I want you to act like the man you are suppose to be and not the fucking yes man coward I see sitting in front of me now. Show me those stars on your shoulder stand for something more than this bullshit you are trying to make me believe." I challenged him.

I saw his eyes widen in shock and I wouldn't have believed I would be speaking like this to him prior to this mission and this debriefing. I wish I could say I was surprised but I was smart enough to know that suits covered their ass while leaving everyone else's ass exposed to take the heat. I didn't want to believe the General was part of this but I shouldn't have been surprised he wanted to please the suits.

He wanted to control me and have me just shut the fuck up and say yes sir but that wasn't me. He should have known this before he took this approach. I wasn't to be fucked with. I didn't bullshit, I didn't have time for it. I never wasted my words on bullshit I never said anything I didn't mean and I never said yes just because a suit wouldn't accept no or wouldn't like it if I said no.

I never had set down I was too mad to sit and act as things hadn't happened. I started heading for the door. I was done with their shit. I knew my car would be waiting for me I had sent Tank and text and told him where to have my Porsche. I hadn't reached the door when my handler final spoke up.

"Ranger you need to complete the debriefing before you can leave." He said; like fuck I did.

"So you decided to speak up now like hearing that would change my mind. I gave you all the opportunity to tell me the truth. The General tried to hand me a line of bullshit while you fuckers decided to sit there silent. I am done listening. I gave you all the chance I am giving you. Now I am leaving and I would like any of you to challenge me or try to prevent me from leaving this room." I challenged them.

"Ranger if you walk out of that door we won't be able to call you for any more missions. You will be negating your contract with the government. I know you don't want to do that. Please sit down and finish the debriefing." My handler said trying to coerce me into staying.

"You need me more than I need you. I don't need to go on missions where I am not supported. Where I don't get the things I request. Where I am not defended and backed up or where I am lied to and you have done all of the above on this mission. So you can take this however you want I am leaving, I am done. You can shove your debriefing up your ass." I told him meaning every word.

"Ranger don't act like you don't enjoy the missions we all know you love the kill. You will be sorry; you will be calling us begging us for a mission." He said. I turned and walked out of the room slamming the door open I wasn't going to answer him. I wasn't dignifying what he was accusing me off with an answer.

I heard the door slam back as I walked down the hall, out of the building, and stepped into my Porsche it was exactly where I told Tank to park it. I headed to Trenton as my mind kept replaying the last words of my handler; my now ex-handler. I knew he was right to a point. I would miss it. I enjoyed the chase, I enjoyed the hunt, I enjoyed the thrill of danger I enjoyed the knowledge that I was better than the enemy. I enjoyed the surprise in their eyes when I stepped out of the shadows if I had that opportunity. I enjoyed the fear I caused in them for I was a legend in some parts of South America they thought I was a ghost of death. And more than anything I loved the kill. I did live for the kill and my handler knew it; he used it.

I knew it was the monster in me that needed the kill. I knew my handler was right I would itch for the kill, I would want the kill. But I wasn't entirely ruthless I had morals and ethics I wouldn't kill innocents; I wouldn't kill women or children ever again.

I have killed both women and children in my days as a Ranger. I was in The Gulf War and stationed in the Middle East the men, heartless bastards, would strap bombs on their women and send them into our stations where we were forced to kill them. We had no choice. We lost a lot of men because a woman walked into their group with a bomb strapped to her. The same with the children you couldn't trust if they were truly innocents asking for help or if they were the enemy. In many cases they were both.

Begging us to save them, begging us to free them from the bomb strapped to them. Only we knew we couldn't. We stepped within feet of them and their husband's would blow the bomb. Our only choice was to kill them and clear out before the bomb detonated.

Many women and children died because we didn't know if they had a bomb or not. I vowed when I left active duty that I would never pull the trigger on another woman or child again in my life. Many men it fucked up in ways they will never be the same again. For some they ended up dying at the hands of them because they found they couldn't pull the trigger even to save themselves.

I didn't have a problem pulling the trigger but every time I found myself holding my breath until I could determine if they had a bomb. I was among the lucky I never killed an innocent woman or child until this mission; when I had to kill eight innocent women.

The thoughts of their words, along with the memories of those women's faces flashing through my thoughts made me wish I had done more to make my point. I had been too easy on them. I had been too nice to them. I should have taken my pound of flesh out of all of their asses. I should have had them begging for their lives. Something those women didn't do.

I had seen more shit, lived through more shit than I cared to remember and this was how they chose to thank me. Not that I expected a thank you or even wanted it but I did expect loyalty I did expect respect and I did expect to be backed up. None of which I had gotten today.

My eyes were finally opened to what the men of my company had been telling me for years. They had all run missions and over the past several years each of them had given it up because of fucked up missions. They had tainted us all, blackened our souls and once they took everything they could take from us they had fucked us over. It was clear to see when you were on the other side of the fence. I briefly wondered if none of us were suppose to have survived those missions if that is why they were so fubared from the beginning we were meant to fail but because we were the best we had survived. I pushed that thought out of my mind because if that were true that would call for a lot different action than I really wanted to start right now.

No one would set me up on a mission to die and fucking live to talk about it. Nor any of my men if that was the case then we would retaliate against the fuckers who thought they could get away with or who had thought they had gotten away with it.

I didn't want to know the answer to that question the answer to those thoughts. I wouldn't go there and ruin everything I had been fighting for all these years.

I was racing towards Trenton; Rangeman. I wasn't sure how fast I was driving my thoughts distracted me and my anger had my foot pressing harder against the pedal than normal. I was agitated, I was pissed, I was on the verge of losing control with the thoughts in my head. Their words echoing through my thoughts, the faces haunting me as their words washed over me causing my rage to rise in me.

I felt the urge, the urge for revenge, the itch for the fight, and I felt the desire for the kill swirling around in me. Only this time the target wasn't an enemy at least not one the government would classify as an enemy. This was a friendly as they would classify only it wasn't a friendly to me. To me they had made themselves my enemy, for that they would be sorry.

They should know how deadly I am, they should know to fear me. They should have known to have never crossed me and denied me anything. They should have known to have never forced me into a decision I didn't want to make. They would pay for that.

I caught brief movement in the corner of my eye and when I focused on what was happening it was too late. I was going through an intersection where my light was green when this car bolted through before I could react I collided with the car. I hit the car just where the driver's door started. I wasn't sure how fast she was going but I knew I had been doing well above the speed limit.

I roared my anger now how an escape. My air bag deployed temporarily blocking my sight. This was my Porsche my baby so speak. I didn't put a whole lot of value on material goods but I did love this car and now thanks to a careless bitch it was toast.

I got out of the car like ripping the door off of the hinges. I slammed the car door so hard I briefly wondered if it remained attached to the car. I was ready to fucking kill. The monster was lose there was no controlling it. With the mood I had been in prior to this there was no controlling it now. I briefly felt sorry for the woman in the car for she had no idea who she had run into and on what day. You know the saying wrong place at the wrong time well she was definitely in the wrong place at the wrong time.

I walked up to her car I saw her lying there her head on the steering wheel brown curly hair falling everywhere I saw blood on her face, her eyes blinking big and blue shining up at me. I saw a tear slide down her cheek and I heard her say "help me" just before her eyes closed and didn't open.

**Please take a moment and tell me what you think…leave a review!**


	5. Chapter 5: On the Scene

**Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! For those that have Private messages turned off that left Reviews thank you for the reviews! I love reading every one of them so keep them coming.**

**I want to Thank Margaret Fowler for encouraging this story out of me. When I mentioned it to you 6 – 7 months ago you didn't let it die in my head. You kept pressing for it so here it is finally being written! I hope it is everything you thought it would be.**

**Standard Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine. They belong to JE I just take them out of the box and play with them a little. I have begged to keep Ranger and Lester for myself but I have yet to get a response… **

**Chapter 5: On the Scene**

**RPOV**

When her eyes locked on me I felt as if something snapped within me. I walked over ready to kill her, ready to let her see and feel the full monster within me. I had a release for the monster roaring within me and I had every intention of taking it out on her for wrecking my Porsche.

I knew it may not be her fault totally as my whole day was shit but she was going to be the one that I took it all out on; until I saw her. I don't know exactly what happened to me or why it happened but the second I saw her looked into her eyes I found myself unable to move; frozen in place.

Something shifted in me I no longer could harm her I no longer could even be mad at her all I wanted to do was protect her. All I wanted to do was make sure she was safe make sure she was cared for. What the fuck was the matter with me? I stumbled forward trying to make sense of what was happening to me.

I turned and looked back at my car trying to remember if I hit my head. I didn't remember hitting my head but something was definitely fucked up with me. The wreck had messed me up in ways I couldn't explain.

I turned back to the woman in the car seeing her head laid against her steering wheel with her eyes closed jolted me forward. Before I realized I had even moved I had jumped forward grabbed her door and pulled it open. The door was a mangled mess when my car hit hers it had pushed her car giving me just enough room to open the door and wedge my large frame into the door so I could reach her and check her pulse.

She had a pulse. I was surprised to feel how weak it was but taking in her looks and feeling her she felt as if she was half starved. I bet if she wasn't wearing those clothes which were practically swallowing her whole she would appear as flesh pulled over bone.

I swiped at the blood pushing her hair back off of her face. I felt to make sure she was breathing and she was breathing. I took a breath of fresh air thanking God for the fact that she was breathing. I knew my men would be here shortly. My car would have notified the command room that I was involved in an accident and since I didn't make contact with them it would warrant them to investigate and I knew Bobby would be one of the men responding. It was protocol and they never broke protocol.

Bobby was my company's medic. He was the best at what he did; fixing people. He was a Ranger and he was the medic in our company in the Rangers. When I started Rangeman there was no other medic I wanted on my staff. Rangeman was started by Tank, Lester, Bobby, and me. We were the core.

I knew I would trust him with her no one else would I allow to touch her. She had asked me for help and the monster within me was going to help her or die trying. I needed to know she was okay I needed to know she wasn't hurt. I knew enough to not try to move her I knew if I moved her I could actually hurt her worse than she already was.

I heard sirens and I felt my body tense. I felt the monster within me coil; ready. Somewhere deep within me I knew they were here to help her but at that moment I wasn't able to process that. I wasn't able to understand that on all levels needed to let them get close to her.

The monster within me only knew to protect her. It was all I could focus on. I looked back at the car trying to figure out what happened to me when we collided but I couldn't remember anything happening other than me hitting her. I knew the airbag deployed but it hadn't hit me in the head. The hard airbag cover had gone up and away from me smashing into the windshield just as it was designed.

I heard tires screeching, doors slamming, and heavy feet pounding on the pavement my senses were overly sensitive to my surroundings. I heard voices but at the moment I wasn't able to focus on them. I was focused on her. I placed my body between her and the noises that were coming closer getting louder. Protect her was the only thing I could hear echoing through my head.

I looked toward the noises and I knew they were my men I could see them but I couldn't change my reaction. The deep gut wrenching all encompassing need to protect her from anything and everything. I knew it wasn't rational I knew it was unwarranted in the back of my mind but the monster within me and my body wasn't listening. It wasn't responding to the rational, what made sense, it was responding to the irrational and I couldn't stop it.

I pulled my gun standing protectively between them and her. My back to her I was ready to defend her. I saw them halt as Tank threw his hand in the air. He recognized the stand he knew the danger. There was a part of me inside that was glad he had recognized the danger because that part of me didn't want to hurt them but I knew if they continued to advance I would hurt them; want to or not. The monster within me would take no chances with the woman. She had to live, she had to be cared for, she had to be helped.

It was only moments later when the rescue squad pulled up and the medics came toward us only halting once they saw me standing there with my gun in my hand blocking them from seeing her from reaching her. No one was going to get through my defense. The first one to advance would be the first example of what happens when you threaten what's mine to protect.

**TPOV**

I had been in my office at Rangeman waiting for Ranger to get back. I had been notified when his GPS started moving and I knew he was on his way back to Rangeman. He was just getting back from a mission and I was glad I was done with all the paperwork bullshit of running Rangeman. I knew he would still need to be off a couple weeks to reclaim his civilian life but at least I was a couple of weeks closer to handing him back the shit work of paperwork.

Missions tend to put him, and anyone who does them, on edge. It heightens your senses, it makes you more reactive and not always do you respond in the correct way. When Zero called me from the control room to let me know that Ranger's vehicle had gone offline due to what he thought was a wreck I knew this wasn't going to be good.

Lester, Bobby, and I jumped in an SUV and made it to the scene as fast as we could because we knew the danger that Ranger posed to all normal civilians right now. They wouldn't understand his reactions and would get themselves in positions to be hurt by him unknowingly. Typically on a normal day it would be fine and he would be in control but not today, not coming off a mission he was dangerous; today they would be his enemies and more alarming was the fact that he would be theirs.

I only hoped we could stop him and make him stand down so the woman in the car could get the help she needed in time. The wreck was significant both cars were totaled and she was unconscious for what I could see which wasn't much. I saw blood on his hand but I instantly knew it wasn't his. It was smeared as if he had wiped it so it had to be hers.

The moment I saw it in his eyes and I watched him pull his gun I realized that even we, his brothers, were in danger from him. I threw my hands in the air one to stop Lester and Bobby from moving closer but also to let him know that I was unarmed and I was no threat to him.

I saw his protective stand and I didn't really understand it other than I figured he was ready to defend himself against us all. I hadn't even been able to speak before the rescue squad pulled up and the EMTs started to make their way toward the accident only to halt at the sight of him. Thankfully they weren't dumb enough to press him. Anyone looking at the man before me saw the monster; knew the intent of his stance just by looking at him.

He wasn't threatening us he was clearly telling us you advance on me and I will fucking kill you.

"Ranger, man you need to stand down. You are safe. We need to check you for injuries we need to get the woman you hit help. You need to come with me and let the EMTs do their job. They aren't going to hurt you." I said to him. I didn't yell it I didn't need to I knew he would hear me.

I saw a flash in his eyes but I knew that hadn't reached him at least not to the point of him standing down. I knew he was still ready anyone step within in the zone he had determined his safe zone was as good as dead.

One of the EMTs worked his way behind him and was starting to advance from behind him but I motioned for him to stop. Ranger's back may be turned but he would sense him there and kill him without hesitation. He would read his actions of sneaking up behind him as threatening and he would strike; it was all part of his training.

Thankfully the EMT stopped at my motion it also drew Ranger's attention to the fact that someone was behind him and he caught him with his gaze. The EMT put his hands in the air dropping his case to the ground and took a few steps back; smart man.

"Ranger, stand down soldier." I tried to command him raising my voice but I caught the fuck you look from him. He wasn't standing down he wasn't backing down. I was beginning to think we were fucked.

Ranger is one of the world's most deadly men he held the weapon but we all knew he didn't' need it. Would he use it, yes, but he could kill us with his bare hands. Just coming off a mission made him even more dangerous and slightly unpredictable because the level of control he normally maintained which made him safe for us all was gone and now he was working off of pure instinct. Pure soldier, pure survival and he was a survivalist at the core.

"Soldier I said stand down. You are safe no one here is a threat to you. You need to put your weapon away and step away from the vehicle. You need to come over here and let Bobby check you out." I told him again more forceful. I figured the more forceful I allowed my voice to be maybe I would connect with the soldier within him. When I told him to step away from the vehicle I saw a flash in his eyes and I saw the twitch in his arm that held his weapon.

I realized he wasn't stepping away from the vehicle. I then realized he wasn't protecting himself. He wasn't defending himself. He was protecting and defending the woman in the car. It was because of her, for her, that he was acting this way for not himself.

I had never seen this side of Ranger before not this intense and I wondered if I would be able to get him to stand down to get the woman the attention and care she needed fast enough. I assumed since she wasn't moving she was at least unconscious I was only hoping she wasn't already dead. If that was the case we were already fucked.

"Ranger the woman you are trying to protect you are hurting. You are preventing her from getting the care she needs. She is hurt and the EMTs need to look at her. They need to get her out of that car and to the hospital; man she needs care." I told him and I saw his eyes change slightly he was at least hearing me; I was at least reaching him on some level. But he had yet to holster his weapon and stand down.

"Ranger you need to holster your weapon and let us get closer. You don't need to leave but you need to stand down we need to know that we can step forward and give you both the help you need without fearing you are going to attack us. No one here is going to hurt her. We are here to help her. I promise you man, brother to brother, soldier to solider we are here to help her; she is safe." His eyes flashed recognition finally coming back to him. I had reached him. He nodded to me and holstered his weapon. He didn't step away but he nodded that we could come closer.

I held my hand up to the EMTs for them to wait. We could take Ranger on. Oh he would eventually get the upper hand and kill us but the three of us hopefully would be able to subdue him long enough for Bobby to inject him if the need arose. The EMTs well they didn't stand a fighting chance against him. So if he were to attack I wanted him attacking us not them.

Part of me was nervous advancing on him even with his approval I knew how dangerous he was but I also knew this was our only option of ending this. We stepped closer and Bobby went up to him ready to examine him for injuries and he shook his head. Bobby turned to look at me questioning if he should give him the sedative I shook my head no. Ranger must have picked up on the communication between Brown and I because I could feel him tense back up from where I stood and I knew Bobby was in a very dangerous position.

He was in the din of the viper and the viper was ready to strike. It would only take one strike. I held my hands up "Ranger pull it together man we are here to help you and her. It's Bobby he isn't going to do anything you don't want. It's okay." I told him and Ranger relaxed a little bit.

"The woman, check her." He said to Bobby and I knew he was becoming more himself but I also knew that if he felt she was going to be hurt he would once again be ready to strike. I briefly thought again It was because of her that he was acting this way for her. I briefly wondered what happened for him to link himself to her. He had never done anything like this before; ever.

He wasn't a son of a bitch to women like a lot of men. We all respected women and we all treated them with respect even the playboy Santos. It was sort of an unstated rule at Rangeman you treated women with respect. But none of the guys were attached to a woman. We would go home with them, we would share a night of hot mutually enjoying sex but that was it. All parties knew the deal before anything happened. The women weren't abused, they weren't lied to, or mislead. Many would say what we did was horrible but none of us wanted a woman in our fucked up lives. Women would never want us, love us, want to spend their life with us once they knew what we were what we had done what we still did. Our world wasn't for them. They were to be protected from our world not brought into it.

Yet we as men had needs. Those needs sometimes were the only thing that held on to our civility, gave us a sense of normalcy, and allowed us to feel the softer side of our darkened and tarnished souls from years of dealing with shit we had.

"Bobby, be careful man. Warn Rangeman if you think something you are going to do to her may appear like you are going to hurt her. Remember you are in enemy territory." I warned Bobby through our mics. I knew Ranger probably heard me but I didn't give a fuck. Bobby was in a dangerous position. He needed to be warned and he needed to heed the warning. I wasn't fucking around when I told him he was in enemy territory.

He was tending to the woman with his back to Ranger. If Ranger already felt protective, over protective, of the woman if he sensed danger for her or him, or if he sensed she was going to be hurt he would strike. The strike would come hard and the strike would come fast and with Bobby's back to Ranger it could be an extremely lethal combination. It would be a bad situation with Bobby facing him and ready as Bobby couldn't hold Ranger off for long but with his back turned to him well there would be no chance. Bobby would just be dead before we could reach him to prevent it.

I knew stepping closer wouldn't help, it would only increase the tension. He had allowed Bobby closer but anyone else stepping closer would only make him feel more caged and right now that is not a feeling we wanted him feeling. We wanted him to feel that he was safe, that we were there to help him. I knew he understood on some level that we weren't there to hurt her but he was having a hard time actually standing down he was on high alert and couldn't let that go. That was the mission fucking with his head, his control. Its why the time away from civilians was necessary to get the solider within back under control.

The EMT's and now the police officers that had arrived on the scene were at least standing back and not advancing. They were scared of Ranger it was clearly displayed on their face. They would give Ranger all the space he needed. You didn't have to be a smart man to fear Ranger. You could look at him, anyone could, and you saw the danger. You saw the raw power, you saw the soldier and anyone with any sense of self preservation instinctively knew the danger he possessed and they instinctively kept their distance from him and for good reasons.

"Ranger, we need to get this woman to the hospital. She has injuries and her heart beat is low." I heard Bobby tell him. Ranger just stood there looking at him not moving.

"Ranger, you need to let the EMT's come in with the gurney and board. I don't want to risk hurting her anymore than she is. She could have a back or neck injuries that if we move her wrong could cause them to actually worsen. Depending on the injury we could even paralyze her if we don't move her right. Since she is unconscious and can't talk to us we have to go by the book and do the best we can. But in order to do that you need to allow them to come up and get close to her. I won't leave her. I give you my word that I will protect her." I heard him tell him and I saw Ranger relax a little more if I hadn't been looking at him and know him as well as I did I would have missed the slight nod of approval. Bobby nodded his head and turned to the EMTs.

"Two of you come here. I need a backboard, a neck brace, and a gurney along with a blanket. One of you walk over here at a time the first one with the things I requested. Once the first one is here then the other one can come over. One at a time walk up to us this way." He said motioning the direction he wanted them to approach. It was clear Bobby knew the danger and he was trying to mitigate the fall out should all of this go south.

Bobby continued to talk to the EMTs instructing them "You will be safe if you do as I say when I say but when it comes to touching the woman let me touch her. If you need to touch her then say what you are going to do before you do it do not reach for her without warning us that you are going to touch her and what you are going to be doing." He warned them.

I swallowed my mouth dry, EMTs weren't always known for following other's orders especially other non EMTs because well honestly they didn't think others knew shit. They didn't think we knew how to deal with emergencies or injuries onsite and for the most part they were right but we weren't normal civilians we probably knew more than they did when it came to emergencies and onsite injury care. Our time spent in the military taught us all we would ever need to know when it came to that shit.

I was glad to see them nod and they did exactly as Bobby had instructed them. I let out a breath I had been holding when Ranger remained calm. His eyes taking in everything he wasn't missing a thing when it came to what each of the men were doing but he was standing down and letting them do their job.

"Ranger I am going to put the neck brace on her." Bobby said and Ranger nodded. Tension was still a little high but it was a hundred percent better than what it was when we got here. If they continued to handle the situation the way they were then everyone would walk away from this without any injuries.

I watched as Bobby moved her hair and hooked the brace around her neck. She was so tiny I could see how little she appeared from where I was standing. I couldn't help but think someone needs to feed that girl.

I caught myself in my thoughts and part of me wanted to ask what the fuck. Since when did I give a shit how skinny a woman was or thoughts of someone feeding a woman? I quickly pushed those thoughts out of my mind. I chalked those thoughts up to the tension and stress of the situation. She was in a very vulnerable situation with Ranger on edge just matter of inches away from her.

Her saving grace would be that Ranger had devoted himself to protecting her but should that change then all bets were off with her that close. One mistake from Bobby, the EMTs and it could all go to hell. I found myself praying that wouldn't fucking happen. But it was callous to not see the threat the potential disaster this had written all over it.

I watched as more police arrived I guess they were calling for backup part of me didn't blame them the other part of me wondered at what point would Ranger be threatened enough that he would call off the truce we had going at the moment. I hoped it didn't reach that point before we had the woman out and on her way to the hospital.

Bobby pulled me from my mental dialog when he started talking. "Ranger I am going to need your help. You need to hold this backboard just like this." He showed Ranger, he had placed the backboard on her seat and he was holding it level. "You need to hold it and keep it from falling while I lower her down on to the board. I need to go slow and smooth. No jerky sudden movements we don't want to hurt her anymore but it's going to be tricky getting her in position without twisting her back." Bobby told him and I sensed Ranger tense but it wasn't the same kind of tension that was radiating off him before. This was tension because he was worried about the woman. He was worried about the possibility of hurting her. He nodded and grabbed the board from Bobby holding just as Bobby had instructed him to.

There wasn't a question about Ranger holding the board he would hold it and not drop it if he had to die holding it he wouldn't let it go. Bobby took a few minutes to move her. When he first touched her to move her I felt Ranger tense back up to strike out but Bobby didn't stop he just continued to move her easy and constant no sudden starts or stops until he had her in the right position supporting her he was then able to lower her body down onto the board.

I blew a sigh of relief when she was lying on the board of course I should have known that wasn't the end of it. Once she was lying on the board Bobby grabbed the end where her feet were and him and Ranger made it over to the gurney just a little distance away and laid her down on the gurney. Lying there I could get a better view and so could Ranger; we all could.

She wasn't just skinny she was bony you could see bones jutting out her skin pulled around them. She had on a suit, skirt and jacket that were several sizes too large. I didn't need to see her standing up to know they would have swallowed her whole. Her wild hair was all over her face and mixed with the blood that had been running down her face falling onto her lap.

One of the EMTS walked over to her and went to move the gurney not paying attention the gurney dropped in a hole on the streets and jarred her pretty good. Bobby grabbed the gurney to keep it from tipping and dumping her. Ranger grabbed the EMT.

He had the EMT by the throat, his eyes shiny and black as coal. The look on his face said it all and I briefly wondered if the EMT was still breathing. We all jumped in action grabbing Ranger and trying to pull him away from the EMT. Ranger had reacted on pure instincts he was protecting the woman on the gurney. We had warned the EMT to stay clear of her and if they needed to reach out to tell us what they were doing. It wasn't for us it was for Ranger to keep this from happening.

Part of me wanted just to let Ranger do what he wanted we had fucking warned them but the other part of me knew that wasn't right not to mention Ranger would end up in some serious shit if he killed the man. So I grabbed him "Man you need to let go. She is fine, she needs you." I told him hoping that would break him from his hold of the man's neck.

Ranger's head snapped toward me looking at me his eyes black and shiny, the monster boring down on me, "man you need to get it together. If you want to go with her to the hospital you need to control this and let the man go." I told him, trying to speak to the man not the monster. I saw a softening in his eyes that told me the man was back. No one else would ever see the change not unless you knew what to look for the feral look of the monster was gone and his hand loosened from the man's neck.

I heaved a sigh of relief, thank fuck the man was still fucking breathing and his trachea was still where it belonged. That had been a close call. I could only hope no one else fucked up when it came to this woman laying on the gurney. I wondered what about her made Ranger so defensive but I also wondered if the hospital would understand what was about to hit their door.

An unconscious woman in need of care and a monster that lived in one of the world's most deadly men willing to do anything necessary to protect her. Some would laugh, many would ignore it, but they would all come to fear it if they had any sense of self preservation. I just wondered what he would do to stay with her because I knew they wouldn't be able to force him to leave her.

It didn't appear as though leaving her was something he was capable of right now. I couldn't help but think how this could become interesting.

**Tell me what you think….Leave a review!**


	6. Chapter 6: The way to the hospital

**Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! For those that have Private messages turned off that left Reviews thank you for the reviews! I love reading every one of them so keep them coming.**

**I want to Thank Margaret Fowler for encouraging this story out of me. When I mentioned it to you 6 – 7 months ago you didn't let it die in my head. You kept pressing for it so here it is finally being written! I hope it is everything you thought it would be.**

**Standard Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine. They belong to JE I just take them out of the box and play with them a little. I have begged to keep Ranger and Lester for myself but I have yet to get a response… **

**Chapter 6: The Way to the Hospital  
**

**RPOV**

When they loaded the gurney into the back of the ambulance I went to step onboard only to be met with an EMT holding his hand up to me. Part of me wanted to break it off but the other part of me remembered what Tank had told me about needing to remain in control so I paused questioning his hand without saying anything.

"Sir you will need to follow us if you want to go to the hospital." He told me and I changed my gaze at him letting him know that I was coming with them. I still hadn't spoken to the man. I knew he would understand the look without words. After all I was telling him either I was coming with them or he wasn't living to the end of his next sentence. The decision was his. I had no doubt what his answer would be.

He lowered his hand and nodded. "Well then please just sit there and stay out of our way this woman needs care, she needs us to do our jobs." He said and I was partly impressed with the way he spoke to me most men wouldn't have had the balls. He gave into my request but made it clear he had a job to do and he intended to do it. I could respect that. I nodded and sat down where he indicated. I tried to pull myself in as much as I could to give him more room to work. I wanted him taking care of her I wanted to know she was getting the care she needed and for whatever the reason I felt like I could trust this man with her.

Not many men would have spoken up to me like that most would have pissed themselves with the look I gave him. I was a good judge of character and I knew this guy was a good guy. It wasn't long before we were on our way down the road heading to the hospital the siren blaring.

I couldn't keep my eyes off of her. She was so tiny, looks so frail she had asked me for help but what did she need help with? Was it just because of the accident she was asking for help? Was it because she was hurting that she needed help? I saw those eyes so blue so expressive and it seemed like more but I couldn't figure it out.

It made sense for it just to be from the accident but there was a part of me that wanted it to be more, that needed it to be more. I would help her however she needed, whatever she needed I knew that though I am not sure I am ready to admit that out loud I can admit it to myself as that is how I now felt.

I watched her as the EMT busied himself working around her. He cut the jacket off of her I wasn't surprised I knew the protocol you didn't move the patient you just cut the article of clothing until they were no longer in your way.

He had put oxygen on her, the face mask covering most of her face. He had placed an oxygen sensor on her finger. He had started to cut her shirt when a growl burst out of me. He looked over at me. I knew he had to do his job but I didn't like the idea of him cutting more of her clothing away exposing her body to him.

"Sir I need to do my job. This is just my job I promise you." He said, I calmed a bit and nodded for him to continue. I hadn't intended on growling in the first place. I knew what they did and I knew why and I knew it wasn't to see anything or take advantage but I still wasn't totally happy about it.

I watched as he cut the sleeve and up the front of her blouse and I watched as her body slowly veiled itself to me. What I saw shocked me. I could see bruises on her arms, finger prints where someone had held her arms. I saw her left arm all black and I knew that was indication that it was broken and I grimaced at the thought of the pain she must be in because of it.

He made some notes about her bruising he listened to her heart he felt her stomach. I knew what he was doing and why but I wasn't happy about it however I was in control. I couldn't help but notice her bones jutting out from her body. You could see every rib sticking out the skin pulled across it. She had on a bra he hadn't cut that off and it was good because I didn't know if I would have been able to maintain control if he had gone further.

You could see her collar bone and shoulder joints all standing out from her. I wondered how long she had gone without food. I recognized starving human beings when I saw them. Her cheek sunken as her cheek bones stood out in sharp contrast. All signs of starvation I found myself trying to guess when she had a decent meal. From the looks of her I would say months not weeks or days.

I couldn't help but wonder why. Why was she starving herself? I reached down and picked up pieces of the jacket that had hit the floor of the ambulance that I could reach without getting in the way of the EMT who was still working and taking notes. I found myself staring at the fabric as if it were able to tell me all of her secrets.

I knew we were getting close to the Hospital and I knew it wasn't going to be long before I had the answer to my questions. I would have my men find out everything there was to know about her. I couldn't help myself, she had asked me for help and I was determined to give it. Not knowing why she asked me for help I would help with anything I felt she needed and she definitely needed help to keep from starving to death.

I knew what it meant to not have food, I had been held prisoner before. I had been denied food and given water that wasn't fit to drink but I drank it knowing it would do nothing but make me sick. But I knew not drinking it would be even worse. I was almost in the shape of her with body mass lost but I had a whole lot more body mass to lose than she had.

When I was rescued by my men I was in bad shape no food for over a month. I remembered Brown being concerned that I had suffered damage to my internal organs that would be un-reversible. I only hoped something like that hadn't happened to the woman before me. That would mean I would be too late to help her and that was unacceptable in my book. I would help her. She would live. I would move heaven and earth to help her.

I searched the pockets of her jacket and only discovered two crackers wrapped in a napkin. They had been carefully wrapped. I briefly wondered if this is what she had been living on. I could tell by the way they had been wrapped they were valued to her. They were tucked down her jacket pocket. They were just saltine crackers but I suspected they were her meals. I grimaced at the thought of only being able to eat two crackers a meal. No wonder she was skin pulled over bone. I would get to the bottom of this as soon as I can right now her care was most important.

I didn't even know the woman's name but my draw to her my connection to her was so strong. I wanted to blame the fucked up mission but I wasn't entirely sure that was the cause for all of it. This draw was fucking strong. It was so deep within in me it was as if she failed to exist so would I. I had never felt anything quite so all consuming and powerful.

Fuck I had loved before, well as much as my heart was capable of. I had ended up breaking her heart in the end. I left her with a child, I had given her my last name and I sent her money every month to care for her and my child but that was all I was good for; money once a month. I didn't know how to love; I didn't know how to give myself to anyone. I didn't want to give myself to anyone. I wanted to be what I was who I was and that was a killer; a licensed killer for our government.

This last mission and debriefing had taken that away from me well at least the license part but I wasn't sure about the other parts. Just because I would no longer have a license to kill for the government didn't mean I wouldn't remain what I was; a killer.

It was what I knew, it was what I loved, it was who I was at the core of me and women, children, and normal people didn't belong, didn't fit, and ultimately wouldn't love me when they found out who and exactly what I was. I had walked away from her and my child and I never looked back. That life wasn't my life. I wasn't the suburban dad married to the soccer mom that lived a life of working during the day, games on the weekend, family time at night that wasn't me. It would never be me.

It wasn't that I was blind to the ways of the world or how most people of the world lived and loved I saw all of that fuck I fought to defend most of it so it could continue for the millions of other more normal Americans but I didn't want it; not for me. I wasn't family material I was soldier material.

Even though all of this I knew, I knew I was heading down a road that I didn't want to be on but I couldn't divert the path no matter how hard I was trying. I couldn't get off the road, I couldn't change direction I was going down this road and it was because of the woman lying before me starved, bruised, defeated and currently unconscious. I didn't even have a name or know anything about her other than I needed her. I needed her breathing and living in order for me to continue.

I was pulled from my thoughts when we came to a stop and I heard the backup beeps coming from the vehicle as the driver put the vehicle in reverse. We were at the hospital. I knew my men probably were right behind the ambulance or had beaten the ambulance to the hospital. Ambulances are only allowed to drive twenty miles over the speed limit no more, but we at Rangeman well we don't have limits like that. We are all expert drivers trained for high speed pursuit and defensive driving skills and well we definitely would have been heading to hospital faster than twenty miles an hour over the speed limit.

Rangeman had special privileges at the hospital. I paid heavily for them but when wings were built because of the funding the hospital staff, administrators, and board of visitors were willing to allow certain advantages to the donor. We didn't ask them to do anything illegal. We only ask for certain amenities like specific rooms, guards at the door, ability to retain our firearms, special reserved parking, and private suits if any Rangeman were to be hospitalized. We also had assembled special teams for our care. We had assembled a special team of select nurses, doctors, surgeons, technicians, and lab rats that had all been vetted through Rangeman as well as understood the value behind being discrete and wouldn't sell us out to any enemies. I paid them well for that.

It was also protocol that when admitted to the ER that we were admitted under assumed names we never used our own names. The hospital systems weren't secure enough. Our enemies could hack in and get a hold of our medical records and that wouldn't be good. They could use those records against us by finding our week spots. So each and every Rangeman had an assumed name for hospital care and stay. These protocols were to be followed to the letter of our agreement there was no exception.

Looking at the woman on the gurney I was going to have to add one more to the list of assumed identities. I was going to have to invoke the special team for her. I wasn't quite sure why I knew that or how I knew that but I knew it. When the doors opened I looked at the EMT guy. "Is she stable enough to wait here for a few minutes?" I asked him. He looked at me questioning me but nodded the answer. I nodded "wait here until I return I need to get things ready for her." I told him.

I knew he didn't understand but I didn't have time to explain everything to him nor did I have the intention of really explaining the shit to him either the fewer who knew of our agreement the more secure we were. I stepped out of the bus and into the hospital. I went to seek out Tank who I knew would be waiting for me. I found him in the lobby.

"Tank I need you to invoke Rangeman protocol for the woman. You know who to talk to do the registering or admitting. Make up a name for her." I told him. He smiled at me, what the fuck, but then nodded as he went forward to make the necessary arrangements.

I walked back to the bus stepping back on it looking at her lying there motionless I found myself grimacing again. I was going to have to get a grip on these fucking emotions. I don't do fucking emotions. This mission had fucked me up.

"It will just be a couple of minutes and someone will be here to escort us to our room." I told him and while his eyes were big with confusion and misunderstanding he nodded to me telling me that he was following my lead.

My eyes then landed back on the woman and didn't leave them until I heard footsteps closing in on the bus. I turned around and recognized the doctor who was walking up to us. I stepped off and motioned for the EMT to follow me.

He unhooked the gurney and began rolling it off of the buss into the ER toward the doctor.

The doctor spoke up "Dr Reynolds" he stuck his hand out to me and I shook it nodding to him.

"Ranger" I told him. He then addressed the EMT the same way as he asked him about the patient.

The EMT rattled off her vitals, his observations, etc. He had thrown a sheet over her so when we rolled her through the halls of the ER her body wouldn't be exposed to everyone in the hallways for that I was grateful. It was only minutes before we were heading to the room minus the EMT.

I knew there would already be guards in place, and I knew once we went through that door she would only leave if she was admitted to the hospital, released, or if she needed an CAT scan or an MRI and if she did need those there was a special exit that was on the back side of the room that lead directly to the rooms that held the needed equipment.

Hell small surgeries could be performed in the room if necessary. I didn't think she would need surgery but I knew her arm would need some form of attention as I was pretty sure it was broken. It would just depend on what they found if they would need to do surgery. I was hoping it was something that could be fixed relatively quickly without surgery, pins etc.

We rounded the corner and I saw Vince and Ram standing sentry on each side of the door. I stepped ahead. "Report" I barked at them. I didn't have time to waste.

"The room is clear and has been for the past five minutes." He told me and I nodded; Good. The hospital wasn't allowed to use this room. It had been a thorn in many of the staff side as it was the best room they had. It had the most equipment right at your fingertips and it was all state of the art it was also fully funded by Rangeman. It was to remain clear at all times unless we were using it. I had set it up like that so that we would have a room to get the care we needed regardless of the incident. My men or I were never to wait for treatment.

If the staff wanted other rooms like these they only needed to convince the hospital and the board of visitors to fund it I certainly donated enough annually to make it happen. Bobby made sure everything was stocked, and everything was state of the art and in working order in the room. Once the staff understood where the funding and the resources for maintenance were coming from they were a little more understanding and less vocal about leaving the room unoccupied at all times.

I opened the door scanning it and then held the door for the doctor and his team to roll her into the room. I stepped into the room and took one of the seats beside the wall watching the team work on her. They were doing her vitals getting familiar with her case from what the EMT had reported.

They never questioned me being in the room. It was my room I was allowed in at anytime fuck if I wanted to come here and sleep they couldn't do shit about it. They cut the remaining clothes off of her and I felt myself stiffen when I saw finger prints on her hips. Bruises from where someone was too rough with her. Looking at the bruises I knew they weren't that old I would say no more than twelve hours and probably more along the hours of less than six. The monster within me roared and I found it hard to sit there and continue to control myself.

Bruising like that was unacceptable on a woman even if it was consensual sex, a partner should never leave hand and fingerprint bruising that is taking something pleasurable to a place it shouldn't be. You could be forceful; you could be lost in the moment without bruising your partner like that. The man and the monster roared at the possibility of what those bruises could mean.

I felt the urge for blood; I felt the urge for the hunt and for the kill come roaring back. I wanted to kill someone, something for seeing the bruises on her.

I was pulled from my thoughts when the door opened. I was immediately on my feet blocking whoever it was walking in from the woman. If they were coming for her they would have to get through me first and that wasn't fucking happening. Not now, not today.

Thankfully it was Tank who opened the door and I was reluctant on one had to let him in with her current state of dress but I knew Tank was a professional he wouldn't get carried away with seeing her naked body lying on the bed while the doctors and nurses worked on her. He wasn't a fucking pervert and I desperately needed the distraction from my current desire to kill.

"Rangeman she is registered under the name Diana Prince." He told me and I nodded wondering where he had come up with that name. "Rangeman you okay?" He questioned and now that I was distracted I had regained control so I gave him a curt nod. I was fine. I was back under control.

"Do you know anything yet?" He asked me nodding his head in her direction and I just shook my head no. Frustration filling me that I didn't know anything but we had just gotten here in all fairness so the man within me was going to try to be patient for now.

"Did you find any identification at the scene of the accident?" I asked him and he nodded.

"We have her pocketbook. She didn't have much in it pretty baron but she did have a wallet with a driver's license. Her real name is Stephanie Plum. Her address is Trenton. She didn't have a cell phone, it doesn't appear that she has a job as she had a news paper with various businesses circled under the help wanted section of the classified ads. So I would guess with the clothing she was wearing and the ads she had she was seeking employment." He said.

Part of me wanted to say no fucking shit you see a girl dressed in a suit with the classified ads of help wanted and you deduct that she was searching for employment nice fucking work Einstein but I refrained. I knew he was just telling me what he found and the conclusions he had drawn from it. I also knew I was just being a hard ass because of the shit that was happening.

The emotions I was feeling were all over the place and it was beginning to take its toll making my patience even thinner. I could feel it and my reaction to Tank's information was only proof to what I already knew.

"Tank, I want to know more. I want you to have the guys start looking into her background. I want you to send someone to her house have them let themselves in. Check to make sure she doesn't have any pets that need to be taken care of. If she does I want them taken care of. Her house, have Ella take care of whatever needs to be taken care of there." I told him and he just nodded.

"I want to be updated whenever you find anything. I want to know everything there is to know about her maybe something from her past will help us take care of her now. She asked me for my help, Tank. I am going to give it. Whatever way she needs we are going to help her." I told him my voice leaving no doubts to my convictions of helping this woman. He just nodded seeing the seriousness in my eyes. He picked his cell phone up off of his waste and started for the door. He turned back and added.

"Rangeman I will stay here, if you need me I am right outside in the lobby. I will let the guys know what needs to be done and you will know something as soon as I do." He added and I gave him a nod of thanks as he made his way out of the room. He knew I wasn't leaving this room until she did yet I needed to know about her so I could be prepared for whatever it was she needed my help for.

The doctor and his team had been working on her since she was settled in the room. IVs were hung, monitors were hooked up to her, and they even put a catheter in. They had been calling off vitals as they were taking them and I knew her blood pressure of ninety over sixty was low. I didn't know how low I just knew it wasn't near the normal which was one-twenty or one-thirty over eighty. Her pulse was at sixty something but I didn't think that was low as mine usually runs in the sixties.

Her weight shocked me. I knew she was thin but when they said weight of ninety-eight pounds I shuddered and grimaced. She was at least five-seven she was extremely underweight. The dangers of what she had done to herself meaning to or not slammed back into me raising my fear for her life all over again.

They drew her blood they captured some of the urine that had come out in the catheter for tests. I feared why she hadn't woken up. I knew she had bumped her head as something, more than likely the glass, had cut it open. It wasn't a bad cut only superficial but it would probably take a few stitches just to keep from leaving a scar.

Because she was conscious when I walked up to the car she hadn't hit her head hard enough to immediately knock herself out. I had considered that fortunate now I wasn't so sure. I wasn't so sure how fortunate she had actually been.

I heard the doctor say things here and there about her but only half of them actually sunk in as my inner debating and fears were preventing much of what he was saying from getting through. A few minutes later the door opened and I was back on my feet blocking whoever it was from entering; from her. When I saw it was Bobby I relaxed and stepped back.

I knew he was the best to be here he would understand what the doctor's were saying and would be able to translate it for me to further understand. He also had her purse in his hand. I knew he would have hated carrying it through the halls of the hospital but I also knew no one had better make a comment about it either. I wasn't stupid enough to say anything.

Bobby was my medic he could ease my pain as well as increase it so I tried not to piss him off. "Bobby glad you could join us. They are working on her. We have been here about a half hour now and they have been doing stuff but don't ask me what. The most of what I caught were her vitals; they drew blood and put in a catheter. They still haven't said anything to me." I told him and he nodded. He walked over and joined them. The doctors and nurses on our team were familiar with working with Bobby so they never paid a second thought to him stepping up beside them.

I went back and took my seat I was able to relax a little more confident now that Bobby was here that she would get the best care possible. Not that it was really a question before my money paid for only the best but there was no one I trusted more when it came to medical treatment care than Bobby.

**Thank you for following along! I hope you are enjoying the story please let me know your thoughts…leave a review.**

**Next update will be on Monday 4/30!**


	7. Chapter 7: Bobby the Man the Medic

**Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! For those that have Private messages turned off that left Reviews thank you for the reviews! I love reading every one of them so keep them coming.**

**I want to Thank Margaret Fowler for encouraging this story out of me. When I mentioned it to you 6 – 7 months ago you didn't let it die in my head. You kept pressing for it so here it is finally being written! I hope it is everything you thought it would be.**

**Standard Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine. They belong to JE I just take them out of the box and play with them a little. I have begged to keep Ranger and Lester for myself but I have yet to get a response… **

**Chapter 7: Bobby the man the medic**

**BPOV**

I walked into the ER anxious. I had stayed back at the scene when they drove off taking the woman to the hospital. It wasn't my intention, but after Ranger grabbed the EMT I thought it would be good to make sure he was okay and try to smooth over any problems it may have caused with the rescue company and the police.

I had seen enough to know that Ranger wasn't leaving her and if the EMT decided to press charges I knew the police would try to arrest him and I knew that would be bad news for everyone including Ranger.

It took some talking but once I explained that Ranger had just returned from a dangerous government mission and wasn't acclimated to civilian living they were a little more understanding. Being EMTs I knew they would have studied handling people with Post Traumatic Stress. I also knew they would better understand why I was so specific in my instruction that this one guy decided not to follow.

I wasn't sure what the fuck was going on with Ranger. He had attached himself to the woman in a way I wasn't fully understanding but whatever the fuck it was he was willing to kill for her. He was willing to protect her at all cost. What caused it? I could only blame on the mission as I have never seen this side of Ranger before the mission.

I briefly wondered what would happen when she woke up and she saw that she had acquired a guardian angel in the form of the world's most dangerous man. He fit the profile of an avenging angel more than any guardian angel. He was a protector, with the missions he has been on and the work he has done with Rangeman but he wasn't the angel. He definitely wasn't entitled to white wings and a golden halo if anything his were black and the halo well that was definitely tarnished beyond restoration years ago.

We may have made it our life's mission to protect the American dream by serving in the military and now we may be able to say that we are still doing it on a smaller scale protecting the citizens of where there is a Rangeman office through security, getting dangerous skips off the street, and assisting the local police departments when needed. But none of this is going to get us to a point where we earn wings and a halo. That shipped had sailed years ago. Most of us did what we did because we didn't know how to have normal nine to five jobs, and live normal lives with a wife, and kids. We weren't family material.

I had been the medic and was shielded from some of the serious shit most of the men had been through. None of us had been through the shit as much as Ranger. He continued to do missions when we had all given it up. The government had screwed us the fuck over or maybe they hadn't and we just felt like they had either way we left and never looked back. Ranger continued to run missions he was the only one left at Rangeman Trenton that still ran missions.

Lester his last mission just about cost him his life. He swears it was a setup and had I not taught him stuff he would have never made it out with his life. I had taught him just enough in field training that he was able to save his own ass. He was still sick with infection but that is better than bleeding to death in some God forsaken jungle in some God forsaken hell hole on earth.

Lester hasn't discussed the details of that mission. He came back a changed man. His light heartedness, his joking side, his playboy attitude all changed. Oh he was still a player but it was more pick the girl up at bar fuck her until he had his fill and then take her home. Numbers were never exchanged and at times I even wondered if they even knew each other names. I am sure the girls didn't know Lester's real name if they knew a name at all.

He was jaded after whatever had transpired. I had tried to get him to open up and talk to me, I had tried to get him to open up and talk to Tank or Ranger if he didn't want to tell me but he wouldn't. Instead he walks around with a hard on for the world and everyone in it most days.

We all were a little that way but he was the worst.

Walking into the hospital I am drawn from my thoughts when I see Tank standing in the lobby. "Yo man" I said to him walking up behind him. I am not a stupid man, I know sneaking up on Tank and startling him isn't good for anyone's health and right now he is somewhat distracted so it wouldn't be good for him to knock me the fuck out.

He turned looking at me. "Where you been?" He asked me obviously pissed I wasn't here sooner.

"I had to make sure the EMT was okay and smooth those waters over, they wanted to press charges against Ranger. I got it taken care of." I told him. He nodded.

"What's the deal?" I asked him.

"Man you better get back there Ranger is barely holding it together. He is allowing them to look at her and work on her but when I went back there a few minutes ago he is coiled ready to strike at the smallest thing." Tank explained to me and I nodded.

He continued. "Bobby I am serious I don't know the deal but watch your back and watch him when you are in the room. Nothing has changed from the street only the geography. She is in our room, and she has been admitted under the name Diana Prince." He told me. I knew the severity of his feelings if that was the case.

That room was only to be used for a Rangeman only. I raised my eyebrow to Tank he just shook his head and put his hands up. "Ranger's idea not mine, I just followed orders." He told me and I nodded. I turned and headed back to the room. I knew I was needed more there than shooting the shit with Tank in the lobby.

Walking back turning onto the hallway I was further surprised to see the guard detail outside the door. Maybe Ranger wanted them there because he was in the room and distracted but somehow I doubted that. I briefly wondered what this woman could be to Ranger and if he knew her but I was pretty sure I knew the answer to that. She didn't look like someone that he would pick to hook up with for the night.

Ranger didn't pick up women often but when he did they were gorgeous women with perfect bodies, perfect hair. They wore expensive clothing, drove expensive cars, and were willing to give Ranger whatever it was he wanted. Oh he never kept them. None of us did. But that was something that they knew in advance. It was a onetime one night deal nothing less, nothing more the next morning we would walk away and never look back. The lives we lived didn't allow us such luxuries in life.

I opened the door and stepped into the room and Ranger met me blocking the woman from me. He was still protecting her. Putting himself between her and whoever it was that dared walk through the door. I knew he knew Ram and Vince were outside and wouldn't allow anyone to walk in that didn't belong but he was still on edge; guarding.

He stepped back allowing me to walk into the room. I tried not to focus on the fact that I was carrying her pocketbook through the halls of the hospital. At least it wasn't one of those huge pocketbooks big enough for the kitchen sink it was small and compact and just held what she needed. I could sort of conceal it in my large hands.

I didn't know of another time I had carried a woman's purse. Hell it wasn't something I did; ever.

"Bobby glad you could join us. They are working on her. We have been here about a half hour now and they have been doing stuff but don't ask me what. The most of what I caught was vitals. They still haven't said anything to me." Ranger told me and I nodded.

I knew Ranger was annoyed and tense I could hear it in his voice. I could see it in his body and I briefly wondered if a woman had ever made Ranger feel this way. I couldn't make sense of why this woman, why now the only conclusion I could draw was that something must have went real wrong and real bad on the mission.

I knew as soon as I got busy with the team it would help further calm Ranger so I went over to stand with the team to get brought up to speed.

I saw Ranger go take a seat by the window and I could feel him relax and the tension in the room lift a little bit. He knew I would make sure she got the best care possible.

Seeing her laying there I was shocked by how starved she looked. I hadn't seen something like this since I was out of the country. The last mission I went on. I was with a team of five guys four Rangers, and a seal. Ranger was the leader Lester was one of the men and me. The other men were from the military but not Rangeman. They were active duty we weren't active duty but we all went on missions and we all had signed contracts with the government.

We walked into a country to take out the regime but what we found when we got there was a hell I had never witnessed and never wanted to be reminded of again. Seeing her hips jutting out from her small body the skin pulled over them, her ribs standing out to where the valleys between them were clearly visible brought back those memories.

Seeing the women naked, starved, and beaten was something that took me months to be able to close my eyes and not see and now seeing her it was all back fresh just as if I were back in that god forsaken hell hole of a country.

The men laying in their own body fluids, starved, beaten, and broken. They were their fellow countrymen but it didn't matter to the leader of the regime. Those that didn't make it were left on the streets their bodies rotting. Those they thought had information that could be used were tortured until they gave up whatever it was they knew.

They had used drills to drill through the hands, feet, arms, and their legs. They would drill right through the bones. The pain must have been beyond excruciating and I was certain they got exactly whatever information they wanted them. What it was they wanted I didn't know.

We were successful in our mission of ending the regime but we weren't able to offer medical help to those left behind. The best we were able to provide were a few instructions and some supplies we had but that was all. Mere drop in the bucket to what these people needed. It was a secret mission one our government didn't want to have to explain. It was supposed to be carried out in a single night. Kill the regime and let the people rebuild but I couldn't help but wonder if we did any good.

We took out the regime but I questioned what we left behind and how in the hell would they rebuild from nothing. There was nothing to rebuild the people starved, beaten, broken the women that had any use to the regime were raped, beaten, drugged, and forced to do whatever they were told. Nothing was untouched, nothing was pure, nothing was left the country was gone.

The kids they used for whatever they wanted, sold, or were forced to be on the front lines to walk through the fields to find any land mines that had been left from wars gone by. Pieces of their bodies littered the streets like trash in New York after the ball drops on New Years. Heads were strategically placed on poles to warn anyone who attempted to help the people of the country what would happen to them.

It was a place that hell would refuse to occupy and we were dumped right in the middle to stop the regime and then not given the supplies we needed to really help the people. I briefly wondered whose pocket the regime had forgotten to line for us to have been sent. If they cared about the people aid would have been sent but there was no aid.

No orders for aid. It was that mission that turned me away from missions. After that mission I had lost focus of missions. I had lost focus for why I was doing them. I had lost the meaning so I cancelled my contract. It had taken a lawyer, and many hoops that I had to jump through but I finally got the government to understand they didn't want me anymore than I wanted them.

Fucking suits, fuck up everything even good missions. When it got to the point that we were doing the suits dirty fucking work for their reasons of gain and not the gain of the innocents I had to step back I had to change my focus. That wasn't who I was that wasn't what I fucking had fought for that wasn't what I was willing to fucking die for. That was nothing but suit bullshit and I would be fuck if I would be willing to die for that bullshit.

I focused back on her and noticed the fingerprint bruises on her hips. I quickly wondered if she wasn't a victim of assault. She also had bruising on her arms and I could look at them and see they hadn't been more than a few hours. I looked at Dr Reynolds pointing to the bruises "Dr. Did you see these bruises are you planning on running a rape kit?" I asked him and he shook his head no.

"I knew they were recent but I figured they were put on her on the scene while trying to extract her from the car." I shook my head.

"Dr. I extracted her from the car and I can assure you I didn't put those on her body. That would be about an hour ago these have been on her body longer than that." I pointed out. He thought for a little bit and took a second look before nodding.

"I will do the kit. After looking at those bruises and knowing you didn't do them, I think it's a good idea." He said. I nodded I wanted to add do you think dumb fucker but I knew he wasn't dumb he had been selected because he was one of the better doctors here, one I trusted in fact but when someone overlooks something so telling it fucking agitates me. I was hoping the test was negative but I wasn't going to chance it by not doing it.

Something had made her run that light witnesses said she was distracted looking behind her as if she was running from something and she had deliberately run the red light running right into the path of Ranger's Porsche. I doubt she ever saw him she was probably too busy looking behind her at what she was running from. It was a rookie mistake looking behind to see if they were getting away versus focusing on what was in front of them and just driving.

I looked over at Ranger and he was still sitting in the seat by the wall. I had never seen him like this. Looking at him I briefly wondered what the fuck was up with him but when his eyes met mine, I decided to focus back on the woman laying unconscious before me and not go there just yet.

Doctor Reynolds spoke up again "She is dehydrated, but her malnutrition level is disconcerting. I am pretty sure her arm is broken" he pointed to her left arm. I nodded looking at it. It was pretty obvious it was broken. "I am also sure her left lower leg is broken I am not sure to what degree but seeing the bruising I would be willing to bet you at least one of the two bones are broken maybe both." He pushed on her rib and I wanted to cringe when I saw the tale tell give.

"broken" he said looking at me I nodded my agreement I didn't need to feel it I didn't need to see anything further to know it was broken I only hoped it hadn't punctured her lung but it was possible. Her breathing was reduced she was on oxygen and her oxygen levels were still low, her blood pressure was low all indicators that she was bleeding somewhere. Granted she had some superficial cuts but they weren't the cause for the numbers we were seeing.

He moved her hair looking at her head you could see the goose egg where the left side of her head near the temple area had hit something fairly hard; the driver's side window. The glass had cut her when her head broke it. It was safety glass but it didn't mean it wouldn't cut you it only meant that it broke in tiny pieces instead of shards like a pane of glass. "She probably has a concussion I am not sure the degree we will have to do a CAT scan to know more since she is unconscious." He said and I once again found myself nodding; agreeing with his assessment of the woman.

I knew Ranger was listening to us and I knew I didn't need to repeat any of this to him. One reason he chose this doctor is that he speaks on a level that everyone understands him he doesn't use fancy language and words that no one but other doctors and medical personnel could understand. I didn't need to break away from our work to fill him in; that was nice.

"Let's do the x-rays and then we can move her in for the CAT scan. Then we can focus on getting her the help she needs and start fixing some of these other things. We need to know what's going on with those ribs. I do not like what this is adding up to." He told me. I didn't agree or disagree but I agreed I didn't like it anymore than he did. The way things were going we may be looking at operating. I briefly wondered if her body was strong enough to fight back against the anesthesia that would be needed. Would we be able to wake her up I wasn't sure I had the answer to that question yet?

I was pulled from my thoughts when the technician asked me to step out of the room. I walked over to Ranger "Man you need to step out while the pictures are shot." I told him. He gave me a look and I knew that he wasn't going to leave the room.

"Ranger man it isn't healthy for you to stay in here." I told him trying to force him out of the room. The technician was putting the lead blanket over her midsection. I saw him step forward but I stepped in front and stopped him. "Man that is protocol. We don't know her if she is pregnant she needs that to cover her." I told him. "You really need to step out but if nothing more go behind the shield where the technician stands when she takes the pictures. That should be good enough." I told him. He stepped closer to her and I could tell he wanted to refuse my request. "Man you are still in the room with her you can see her no one will come in I promise you. You can stand over there and she will be safe and so will you." I told him. His shoulders relax. "I promise you when I step out of these doors no one will walk in until you give a signal that we can return. I will stand outside of them." I told him and he looked at me a minute processing what I had told him and he nodded.

I felt better leaving the room knowing he would go behind the barrier. The CAT scan was going to be fun if it was this hard to get him to leave the woman. I couldn't help but think what the fuck was wrong with him. What had happened because the asshole would never allow himself to become attached to a woman let alone willing to stand in a room with x-rays running to protect her. This was a whole new side to Ranger; one I had never met before. I wondered how long it would take him to snap out of whatever it was that came over him that was causing him to make these stupid fucking decisions.

I stepped out of the room and caught Ram's eyes "Do not let anyone in this room, and I mean anyone. They are doing x-rays I will be right back but I need to talk to Tank for a minute." I walked away to find Tank. I needed some answers.

Walking into the lobby I saw Tank sitting there. He had the phone to his ear and I was certain he was either directing someone to do something or getting a report from one of the guys. This woman had us all jumping through fucking hoops.

Since when did we fucking go from a security company to a company that fucking took care of women who were involved in car wrecks? I didn't have time for this shit, the guys didn't have time for this, and neither did Ranger. We had fucking lives and we already had fucking jobs to do and this wasn't one of them.

Tank hung up when he saw me round the corner into the lobby room. He stood up and came over to me. "Report" he asked me. "I have been in with the woman, Stephanie, they are doing x-rays now. What the fuck is the deal? I couldn't even get Ranger to leave while they took pictures. I could barely get him to agree to leave her to go behind the protective barrier because he couldn't protect her from anyone coming in through the door. Like anyone would go in there to hurt her. It isn't like someone is after her. She is in here because she was involved in a car wreck that was her own fault. What the fuck is wrong with him? I had to promise to stand outside the door while they were doing the x-rays and make sure no one would go in before he would agree to stand behind the protective barrier. Since when was it that a woman controlled Ranger and caused him to act this fucking crazy?" I asked him more venting than really wanting or expecting answers.

Tank's head went up and he sort of looked down at me "You told him you would remain outside the door?" He asked me and I nodded.

"Well then I suggest you get your fucking ass back outside that door and do what you fucking promised. If he finds out you left you will have bigger problems on your hands than trying to figure out why he is acting the way he is. Furthermore I suggest you do your job and stop asking the questions you are asking. You don't want to be in those cross hairs." He warned me and I knew what he was saying was true but I also knew that someone had to ask these questions. Ranger wasn't himself.

I wanted to tell Tank fuck off but all I did was turn and walk back to stand in front of the room. I wondered if Ranger would know I walked away and I couldn't help but feel that he would know; fuck he always knew.

**Tell me what you think….leave a review!**


	8. Chapter 8: Conflict

**Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! For those that have Private messages turned off that left Reviews thank you for the reviews! I love reading every one of them so keep them coming.**

**I want to Thank Margaret Fowler for encouraging this story out of me. When I mentioned it to you 6 – 7 months ago you didn't let it die in my head. You kept pressing for it so here it is finally being written! I hope it is everything you thought it would be.**

**Standard Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine. They belong to JE I just take them out of the box and play with them a little. I have begged to keep Ranger and Lester for myself but I have yet to get a response… **

**Chapter 8: Conflict Between the Man and the Soldier**

**RPOV**

I sat and I watched Bobby and the doctors work on the woman lying unconscious on the bed. I couldn't help but wonder what was going on with me. I couldn't bring myself to leave her. I knew the accident wasn't my fault. I had no guilt over the accident. Yet I couldn't walk away from her; her words 'help me' haunting me kept me planted.

I wasn't a good doer that was for someone else. I ran Rangeman and while we protected people, we protected properties, we provided a service that many would say is noble and good for the community I couldn't say it was because I was such a good doer and I thought it was needed. Needed maybe; but make no mistake I did it for the money and I did it for the hunt. The money was good and it provided me with exactly what I needed. Excitement, adrenaline, danger, and ultimately it provided me with the hunt.

I got to hunt down the skips. Protecting people and their property is just lucrative it's a means to an end to allow me to do what it is that I enjoy the most; the hunt. The further they run the deeper they bury the more fun it is. Make no mistake they can't go far enough or deep enough that I can't find them. I will find them, I will fury them out, and I will bring them back to the system.

My being here because of her just didn't add up, didn't make sense. She wasn't paying me, she wasn't anything to me. She wasn't even that great looking bony, crazy hair, more than likely hooked on something. No one just lets themselves get that thin unless they were anorexic and I didn't need that shit in my life. Fuck I didn't need a woman in my life let alone a woman with baggage or issues.

What the fuck was I thinking a woman in my life? That wasn't an option for me. I would never be able to have a woman in my life and her be safe, I knew that. My enemies my life was no life for a woman to live especially because she happened to fucking have the luck of loving my worthless ass.

My soul wasn't capable of loving, wasn't capable of giving that had been a bridge long time ago crossed and burned and with every mission, every fucked up country I ever spent time in only further confirmed it I wasn't material for women to love. I came with my own baggage my own issues. When it came to women I fucked them and then I left them.

Something about this woman, Stephanie, held me captive seeing her bright blue shining with tears eyes, her plea of help me had fucking hooked me somehow and while I knew I needed to turn and walk away and never look back I was incapable of doing that. I needed to protect this woman. I needed to find what she needed my help for and I needed to provide it for her just as much as I needed to breathe air to survive.

I had allowed Bobby to have his pissy ass way and I agreed to stand behind the protective barrier while the x-rays were being taken but I hadn't promised to remain behind them the entire time. When the technician went to move the film I went with her. I knew it was stupid but I couldn't help but to stand guard; protect her.

Bobby had said he would stay outside and make sure no one came in but I heard him tell Ram to watch the door. He should know not to fucking push me but I guess a little lesson on the mats would have to teach him to not fuck with me and promise me something he had no intention of doing.

I stepped behind the protective barrier with the technician and I could tell she wasn't really comfortable with me being in the room but she was just going to have to fucking deal with me because I wasn't leaving the room at least not until she woke up and I had a chance to talk to her. I had questions that I needed answers for and I wasn't leaving until I had them.

I walked with the technician back into the room and stepped up to her bed. I pushed her wild curly hair away from her eyes and I found myself wishing she would open them. I shook my head shaking those thoughts out of my fucked up head. This was nothing but business as usual. She asked me for my help I am just trying to figure out what that was. That is all nothing more, nothing less I rationalized with myself as I watched the technicians every move to make sure she didn't harm the woman lying before me.

It didn't take long before the x-rays were done and the team of doctors, nurses, and bobby were back in the room gathered around a computer monitor, myself included. I wanted to throw up looking at the x-rays. I had never felt this way before even looking at my own injuries. But the thought of this being her, and I didn't even know her, but the thought of it being her made a wave of nausea roll over me. I swallowed it silently, as it would not be good for other's to know that, and listened to the doctors and Bobby.

"Well this confirms the leg, the small bone, is broken. She has a slight hairline fracture of the skull where her head hit the window, her ribs are definitely broken at least these two. The CAT SCAN will show us more with her head and ribs." He said before pulling up some more shots that were taking.

"Her arm is a no brainer that it was broken but it looks to be a clean break one that we can cast it and it should heal without any issues. It looks like this bone was broken a long time ago as well." He pointed to a section of the xray. "Look here you can see the modeling. This is where it was broken at some point and healed from the look of the modeling it isn't something that has been in the recent past. It is possibly even a child hood injury." He said

I just listened and grimaced when I couldn't take any more and my stomach was ready to revolt but I wasn't going to allow that to happen. I wasn't a fucking sissy I didn't get emotionally attached and I sure as fuck wasn't some pussy that puked when someone else was injured.

"Her hips look good, as well as her right leg and arm. While the pictures were being taken I got back some of the initial blood work. It's not good. Her levels are off. Potassium is dangerously low, she is dehydrated, and her mineral levels as well as nutritional levels are suffering. The PH of her blood is off and unless we can get that stabilized through the fluids she will be out of it for a while." I briefly wondered exactly what all of that meant.

PH of the blood being off seemed the worst. I glanced at Bobby and he nodded. He would fill me in when we had a moment. The doctor interrupted my thoughts "We will take her to get the CAT scan and then we will determine if we need to do an MRI or anything further." I nodded.

I stood up to go with them when they started rolling her bed. They weren't going to leave me in this room and take her into another room even if one of my men was with her. He walked away from the door, I wasn't sure I could trust him to keep her safe. He would need to prove himself to me by not walking away.

I quickly crossed the room opened the door. Ram and Vince were on the door guard duties. "Follow us we are moving to the back hallway for a CAT scan I want you guarding our door while we are there." I told them. They nodded and proceeded to follow us out of the back door, down the hallway to the room with the CAT scan machine.

Bobby looked over at me and I gave him the look he knew I was there to stay and for him to try to fight it would only end badly for him. I got my way or those that were trying to prevent me from getting my way dealt with my wrath. For Bobby that would mean another round on the mats. He had already earned one trip today I am sure before the day was over he would earn more.

He wasn't happy being here playing nurse maid to a woman that wasn't anything to Rangeman, I got it. But he would do it because I was ordering him to do it and my orders were carried out regardless of how you felt about them. Like them don't like them I didn't give a fuck. I ran a business and to not follow my orders was unacceptable and there were punishments for not following them; meeting me on the mats.

We walked into the room I knew having the guards outside was a little much but she had been running from something and I didn't know what. She had asked me for my help and I didn't know why. I wasn't a man that took fucking chances. If someone had a beef with her they were going to meet their fucking worst nightmare because from the moment I saw those big blue shiny eyes she was the safest woman on the planet because I would move heaven and earth to protect her. She would forever on be protected.

I don't know what happened, or how it fucking happened but I knew enough to know that I would protect this woman or die trying and all I knew about her was her name.

I was brought out of my thoughts when I saw they were going to transfer her from the bed to the machine. Part of me wanted to protest but I knew she was in good hands so I held myself back allowing them to transfer her. They got her stable on the bed in front of the big round machine and like before everyone started leaving the room with the exception of the technician. I once again refused to leave.

I would go where the technician went when the machine was running only so long as I could see her and had the ability to keep her safe. I saw them inject something in the catheter and was glad she was out that shit burned and made you feel like you had pissed yourself. I hated that fucking contrast dye.

The technician got her situated and then moved behind the protective barrier, I followed. She could direct the bed to get the shots she wanted. They wanted head, neck, and chest. This would tell them a lot.

Once the pictures were done they transferred her back to the bed and wheeled her back towards the room we had been in. I halted them and instructed Vince and Ram to clear the room before we entered. They proceeded into the room and came back with the all clear signal. I nodded and we headed in. Vince and Ram took up guarding the door as the doctors and nurses got busy getting her settled back in hooking up the machines that had been monitoring her heart, blood pressure, oxygen levels.

It wasn't like the numbers they were getting were any better if anything they had gotten worse and she had yet to stir any. I knew they hadn't given her any pain meds because they couldn't not with the rate of her heart and blood pressure anything more and she would more than likely not make it.

I briefly wondered what it would do to me if she didn't make it and I decided I didn't really want to know the answer to that fucked up question. Answering that question may mean that I had become attached and I didn't do attached. I never did attached.

Maybe never wasn't the exact word as I did do attached at one point in my life I was young and stupid and it was all for the wrong girl. A girl who used my feelings for her selfishness she took what she wanted when she wanted and then handed them back to me as if they meant nothing to her; they hadn't. That was the day I decided the fate of my life that would later prevent me from having a woman in my life to get attached to.

I joined the Army, became a Ranger, and went to hell holes of the world doing hellish deeds that I loved all in the name of freedom, all in the name of humanity. The humor in all of that was that as I was freeing the world, and bring humanity back to those who deserved it I was losing my own piece by piece little by little.

That girl so many years ago now had calloused my heart to the rest of the world and my past had blackened it and I am sure for many they wondered if I even still had a heart. For those that knew me, I am certain that they doubted it. I even questioned it up until today. Looking in those eyes I felt something I couldn't explain and until I could understand it and make sense of it I wasn't saying a fucking word to anyone about it.

I watched them once again gather around the monitor on the wall once they had her settled. The doctor started pulling up images. I moved closer hoping to hear what was going on. "Her concussion isn't the worst I have seen but it is definitely a significant concussion. It doesn't appear to be swelling beyond the capacity of her skull, nor does it seem to be continuing to bleed so those are all good signs. But because of that I am not certain when she will wake up. At this point though it may be for the best that she's out we wouldn't be able to give her pain medication with the numbers we are seeing so if she was awake she would have to deal with some pretty significant pain levels." He said and I couldn't argue with that.

If she would be in that much pain I would probably be ready to kill someone to give her relief so it was good neither of us had to go through that right now. He pulled up a few more images. "Now this doesn't look good." He pointed to a point on the screen. To tell you the truth I couldn't make shit out as to what he was showing but I knew it was the chest scan he was looking at. "It appears that Rib three and four have punctured the lung on the left. It looks like that is where she is bleeding and we will need to go in and fix that. It's what I suspected with the blood pressure being so low. She is bleeding internally." He said and I wanted to once again throw up. All this time she had been laying there bleeding internally and no one had done fucking shit about it. I wanted to rip the doctor's head off. I wanted to scream in rage but I knew it was none of their fault.

It was just me trying to find a focus for the emotions that were flowing through me. Trying to make sense of what was going on with me and needing an outlet to get rid of these emotions and these feelings. I needed to fucking beat on someone, I needed the hunt, and I further needed the kill. That would get my head back on straight and make me see things for what they really were.

"We need to prep her for surgery that is top priority now. While she is in there we will see if there is anything else we need to fix but I suspect the lungs will be all she needs surgery wise. The good news her neck and back look good. I don't see anything that stands out as a problem so we can lose the back and neck braces." He stated and I felt myself take a breath at hearing the good news. At least there was some good news to come from this fucked up situation and day.

Bobby walked over to me. "Rangeman we need to prep her for surgery. You won't be able to be in the room but I will be in there so you can trust that I will take care of her and I will let you know as soon as you can join her. I won't leave her alone or unprotected." He told me but with him walking away from the door I wondered how much of that promise I could trust and would he really keep her protected the whole time.

"Brown, you had better keep your fucking promise. If something happens to her you won't be able to run fast enough or hide well enough." I threatened him I watched him swallow and then he nodded.

"Man I promise she will be safe, I will do everything in my power to see that she makes it. I can't promise you because shit can happen but I will do everything I can to ensure she makes it." I knew he wasn't foolish enough to promise me something he couldn't and I wouldn't expect him to. In the end the most I could hope for was him to do everything in his power and ensure the rest of the surgical team would do theirs. I nodded accepting his promise.

"How long will it take to prep her?" I asked him. Bobby shrugged his shoulders.

"We have to see if there is an available OR room. The team is here so we don't have to worry about a surgeon. We need to check on the anesthesiologist I am not sure if she is available." He said. Oh she would be available. I would pay her to fucking be available. I pulled out my phone.

Sending Tank a text letting him know to get the anesthesiologist and secure the OR room for us. I had no doubt we wouldn't have something available to us within the half hour. "You do what you need to do to prep her now Tank is taking care of the room and the anesthesiologist." I told Bobby. He nodded.

Rangeman paid this hospital well to be available to us at all times. I would pay them even more for the room. Money always worked. They seem to always be money hungry. All I needed to do is dangle some money and they were willing to give me whatever it was I wanted without too much fuss.

Rangeman had made this hospital a wealthy hospital and our annual gift was something they wouldn't willingly lose of course it caused them to jump through some of our hoops and requirements like the room we are currently standing in but in the end it was a win win situation for the both of us. They got to upgrade their outdated dilapidated equipment, add wings on the hospital and grow and we got above standard care, and treatment. It was good for everyone.

I still didn't want to leave her but I did trust Bobby and I trusted that he would care for her if nothing because he would fear facing me if he didn't. He may not understand why, but he wouldn't question it especially to my face.

My phone buzzed and I looked at the message from Tank it was simple 'all a go room 3.' "Brown it looks like all is ready and she will be OR room 3." I told him and he nodded. There was a knock on the door a few minutes later. I went and opened the door being sure to place my body between that of whoever was entering and Stephanie.

"Yes" I said rather abruptly. Letting the dislike for being interrupted known in my voice. A woman met my gaze and I saw her eyes grow. I softened my features slightly as to not further scare her. She cleared her throat. "I am the anesthesiologist I am here to see Ms. Prince." She said and I smiled at her use of the bogus name. At least she was sticking to protocol and not saying the patient's real name in the hallway.

I nodded stepping back letting her in the room after checking her employee id.

She walked in and walked up to Stephanie. I had seen her before working on the guys that had to go to surgery but we had never talked. Of course I have never been this involved with the guys. I mean I held their power of attorney but the guys were always able to speak for themselves or Bobby took care of everything. In this case I wanted to be involved. I wanted to know everything that was happening to her.

I wanted to know the odds of putting her further to sleep when she was already unconscious and in such a state of health. I wanted to know that if we did this she could wake her up. I wasn't sure I had heard the answer to that question.

She had looked over her numbers took her pulse, propped her head back and looked in her throat. Felt around her neck and throat area. She had referenced her chart a couple of times. She appeared to be thorough and I was thankful. I knew if she was one of the doctors selected through Rangeman she would be nothing but thorough and good. I knew we would have already performed background checks, and she would have been vetted and trusted enough to work on her.

Bobby spoke up "Dr. Kelly do you believe if we put her under that you will be able to wake her up." She thought for a moment before answering him. "I don't believe it will be a problem. I am just going to give her enough so she won't wake up during surgery. I wish I could do a block but I can't risk that not with her being unconscious. That would be more risk than I am willing to take." She said.

I know I took an audible sigh of relief when I heard her say that she would be able to wake her up. She spoke up again "The PH of her blood is the most concerning. Until that is brought closer to neutral she probably won't wake up so after surgery there is going to be this struggle to see if she is out because of the anesthesia or the PH levels." She said.

"How long does it take to get the ph levels back in normal ranges?" I found myself asking before I realized I even opened my mouth.

"Well that depends on the cause. If it is just because her levels are low then it will take several hours of fluids and potassium. The potassium has to be done in a slow drip as it is caustic to the veins and can be extremely painful to patients if pushed too fast. Her levels of potassium are extremely low and she is dehydrated. Do you know if she is anorexic or bulimic?" She asked me and I just shook my head. I had no idea.

I knew this was a slippery slope if I confessed to not knowing her I wouldn't be allowed in the room, they wouldn't talk to me because of legalities with health information if I confessed to knowing her I would need power of attorney if I was anything less than a family member or her husband. Husband? Fuck why the fuck had that popped into my fucking mind. I really need to hunt. I need to find a bad guy and make sure I brought him back fucking dead to straighten out these thoughts in my head.

If I were a family member or closer I would know if she had any anorexic or bulimic behaviors. Fuck. I could say she was a Rangeman but if they get wind of why she was here and that I had hit her they will know its all bullshit. I really didn't know how to answer that question so to not divulge any more information I just shook my head. I needed Tank to get the necessary documentation and present it to the hospital so this doesn't become an issue.

The doctor turns away from me and I once again text Tank exactly what I need him to do.

I looked at Stephanie lying in the bed and briefly wondered if she had a husband. She could very well be married. I looked at her left hand and there were no rings on her finger so I breathed a sigh but I knew that it didn't necessarily mean anything. She could have forgotten to put them on this morning or maybe she was the type of woman that didn't wear any jewelry. She didn't have in earrings though she had the holes for earrings in her ears. I had seen them.

I quickly cleared those thoughts from my mind when they started to move her and I stepped in front of them. Bobby stepped up to me "Ranger we are taking her to the OR. It's important that we get her there and start operating the faster we fix this the better. It's already gone on longer than it should have. Luckily it's probably only a knick on the outside because if it was really bad she would have crashed before now. But the sooner we get it fixed the better." He said and I nodded. I knew it made sense.

I knew he was right and I understood the urgency I just wasn't ready to let her out of my sight. I really didn't want to admit it but I didn't want to let her go. I stepped back after having to force myself to move my feet. Bobby saw the dilemma in my eyes and tried to easy my mind "man I promise to keep her safe." He said and I nodded looking at him. He nodded back. He understood what my eyes were saying.

Keep her safe at all costs. Guard her and care for her as if your life depends on it; because it does.

I nodded and they rolled her out my eyes didn't leave her until they were out of my sight. I closed my eyes and the only thought in my head was bring her back that I wasn't ready to let her go yet.

**Let me know what you think…Leave a review!**


	9. Chapter 9: Disgruntled

**Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! For those that have Private messages turned off that left Reviews thank you for the reviews! I love reading every one of them so keep them coming.**

**I want to Thank Margaret Fowler for encouraging this story out of me. When I mentioned it to you 6 – 7 months ago you didn't let it die in my head. You kept pressing for it so here it is finally being written! I hope it is everything you thought it would be.**

**Standard Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine. They belong to JE I just take them out of the box and play with them a little. I have begged to keep Ranger and Lester for myself but I have yet to get a response… **

**Chapter 9: Disgruntled **

**LPOV**

What the fuck? I briefly wondered. Tank had called me and instructed me to do a full background check on one Stephanie Plum. He wanted me to find where she lived and pay a visit to her home. He wanted me to pack a bag for her and then bring it to the hospital. I briefly wondered if he also wanted me to bring her a balloon, and some fucking get well flowers as well. She had fucking caused Ranger to hit her by running in front of him because she failed to pay attention to her fucking surroundings and now we were bending over backwards fucking taking care of her. What the fuck? I briefly wondered if Ranger had lost his fucking mind.

Tank had said Ranger was serious when I questioned him and he told me to just do my fucking job or I would be answering to Ranger but I swear I was ready to call his big dumb fucking ass to the mats. He had Brown, Tank, Ram, and Vince at the hospital and I was sent back here to run Rangeman. Didn't he know the men were needed here rather than at the hospital? He then had me doing this shit didn't he know Rangeman needed my attention instead of me spending time checking out some chick that managed to total his fucking Porsche.

If I were Ranger I would be more pissed about my God damn Porsche being totaled than trying to learn about the bitch responsible. This woman was fucking with his head. I wasn't sure where his head was or how she was doing it but she was fucking with him. That's what women did they fucked with you. That is why I stood by my theory of fuck them and leave them. Fuck them before they had the chance to fuck you because it hurt a hell of a lot more when they fucked you.

I had a fucking woman betray me and in the process she ripped my heart out that is all it took for me to understand exactly how to treat all bitches. They had their purpose and I used them for that purpose nothing more.

The background check popped up on the screen and I couldn't believe my eyes. The picture of her she was beautiful. Her eyes brilliant blue, her smile was a smile that would draw a guy in and make a guy do anything to see that smile. I briefly shook my head and flipped the screen. Her name was Stephanie Plum. She lived on Vine street I somewhat knew the area if memory served me right the street held small little row houses of sorts. It wasn't the expensive part of town but it wasn't the trashiest or lowest rent side either.

Her parents lived in Chambersburg area of Trenton, her dad had worked for the post office and had retired after thirty years of service. He now drove a cab. Her mother seemed to have never held a job. Knowing the area they are from was known as the burg I assumed she was a stay at home wife and mother. If I was correct it was typical demographic of that area.

Her sister seemed to be married and was living in California. Her husband was some big wig out there in a company. I briefly wondered if she knew he was unscrupulous. I didn't continue to look to close at them. Just looking at their pictures you could see the look of better than you on their faces. I instantly didn't like them. But then again it didn't take much for me to not like someone. I wasn't one that just liked people it took me time to open to someone and trust them and like them. Trust and like were something that was earned not something that I gave freely. Earning my trust was virtually impossible at this point in my life. My past had taught me I couldn't afford trust.

I flipped the screen. Stephanie had worked for a lingerie company as a buyer. I let my mind briefly think about the things she would have bought. What type of lingerie and I was starting to like that I was tasked with packing her bag maybe her lingerie drawer would house some secrets that I wouldn't mind investigating further.

I could see fucking her; she was beautiful.

The last paycheck she earned was six months ago. I didn't see any new employer. I briefly wondered what the fuck had she been doing for money in the past six months. I wondered if she didn't have a sugar daddy that was taking care or her.

I flipped the page again her banking account had my attention. She had six dollars and ninety cents in her account. How the fuck?

I clicked for more information and I saw where for the past six months she had lived off of her savings and I could see it go down month after month until the balance it was today. I erased the thoughts of a sugar daddy. This girl was desperate. She didn't have two cents to rub together. Maybe she had setup Ranger. It wasn't like you wouldn't have seen the Porsche and not known the driver was fucking loaded. Maybe she targeted him for what she could get out of him.

I flipped the screen and saw that she owed everyone. Was I surprised? No. She hadn't paid her Visa bill in months, it looks like she hadn't paid her cable, or cell phone bill in months I suspected the service had been cut off. She was behind on her car payment to the point I suspected it was going to be repossessed. She was behind in her rent. Her finances were a mess and from what I could see she had no way of making them better, at least not until she put herself in the direct path of a fancy fucking expensive as hell Porsche driven by one of the world's richest and most successful businessmen in Trenton.

It was pretty clear she had fucking set him up and Ranger was fucking buying it hook, line, and fucking sinker.

I printed the shit out to show Tank, maybe Tank could talk some sense into Ranger and have him fucking walk away from the bitch before she managed to get a single God damn dime from him. I knew how bitches were now they only had two things on their mind how much you were worth and what you could fucking buy them. Once they got past our looks and body that was all that fucking mattered to them. Just ask any of the guys it has happened to us all.

Hell maybe Ranger should just throw some money at her and let her fucking leave that would be better than having his heart ripped out. I would have rather lost my money than my heart when the bitch I gave it to crushed it. I would have rather been out the money.

I grabbed the papers off of the printer and walked out onto the floor in search of Cal. I walked up to Cal, Hal was standing beside him. "Cal man I am going to go out and check on something for Rangeman, you are in charge until I get back." I told him and he nodded.

I walked down to the stairway and went to the garage. Grabbing an SUV I made my way to Vine Street to Stephanie Plum's house.

Pulling up outside her house it was small. It had flowers in the front a small little porch that was empty of any decoration or chairs. Most houses in this area had a chair, flowers, or something to make the porch look a little homey and the house lived in. I walked up the walk to the front door and let myself in. Locks were only there for honest people.

It wasn't that I wasn't honest, for the most part I had a moral code I lived by, but locks weren't something that prevented me from entering. I could open the lock faster without a key than with one. I let myself in and closed the door and locked it behind me. I didn't need any nosy neighbors walking in on me.

I looked around at the empty room and briefly wondered what the fuck? Did she live here? The living room was empty. No furniture, no TV, no tables or knickknacks that girls like to put all over the place. There weren't even any pictures. No personal touches. The windows had blinds that were drawn tightly closed but there were no curtains. What was this fucking chick up to?

I saw a box over in the corner and I walked over and looked in the box. It held some pictures in frames, and a couple of small trinket things that looked like more sentimental crap than anything of value. I looked around the room and I could see where furniture had been in the room. I saw where the legs of furniture had buried itself into the carpet leaving marks. It looked like the room once held a sofa, a chair, a table, a TV stand, and possibly some shelves or something. I wondered what she had done with the furniture was she planning a move that the background check didn't turn up?

I knew our system was better than that it would have known and it found nothing; no other possible address for her. No storage facility in her or her parent's name; nothing. I walked into the dining room and again the room was empty not even a box of personal stuff. The kitchen was small. But there was a table and chairs, on the table were a bunch of bills. I briefly walked over and sat down in the chair that was slightly pulled out.

Looking at the bills confirmed what the background check had uncovered she owed a hell of a lot more than she was ever going to be able to pay. She had six ninety written down and circled several times. She had bills in piles I suspected the piles were not going to pay and want to pay but no money to pay them. I saw a couple of question marks like one would draw when they were doodling while in deep thoughts.

I briefly wondered if all the furniture was gone why had she held on to the table and chairs and I thought they must mean something to her. They must hold some value to her beyond what they would bring if sold.

I walked over to the kitchen cabinets and I began opening them and I was surprised to find them all empty. One glass sat in the sink, a set of silverware, a single plate, and a single bowl. What woman only had one of place setting? Did she not have any fucking friends? Did she never have anyone ever to join her for dinner or stay for fucking breakfast? Fuck what a dud of a life.

I opened one of the cabinets and found a box of crackers. They were soda crackers that you could buy a big box for like a dollar. That was all the food in the cabinets. Was she fucking living off of crackers?

I opened the refrigerator and the light didn't come on. I didn't need a light to see that it was completely empty. There was nothing in the fridge. Not a single bottle of water, not a beer, not a takeout container, not a single piece of food. It was completely empty.

I walked over the wall switch and flipped the switch; nothing. Her power had been shut off. I flipped the switch back down more out of habit than anything. I continued on throughout the house. Walking into her bathroom she had some cosmetics but I could tell these were the ones that she had put in the back of the drawer because she didn't like them and was now forced to use them because that was all she had.

Her toothpaste was to the point that she was pushing the backside up into the tube to get any and I was wondering if it was giving her any at all. Her toilet paper was down to almost the end of the roll and I briefly wondered what she would do once it ran out. I couldn't help shaking my head and feeling a little sorry for her. There are some things no human being should have to do without and toilet paper, toothpaste, and food are three of them.

I made my way out of the bathroom and into the bedroom I assumed was her bedroom. She had an air mattress lying on the floor with a sheet on it. No other bedding I wondered how she was going to keep warm on cold nights. Even though it was spring the nights still got cold in Jersey.

I opened her closet and was shocked. She was Jersey girl yet her closet held one pair of shoes, tennis shoes. The clothing was sparse two pair of jeans, a few t-shirts all of which had seen better days. I went over to her dresser and what I started out excited to see no longer held interest for me.

I opened the drawers and what I suspected was true she had some underwear nothing too fancy all practical all had been warn and washed to the point of looking slightly discolored. She had a couple of bras both of which had probably seen better days. Days when the bra had actually held a shape with the underwire in place and not broken or missing. The drawers were plastic bins that pulled out. I could tell it had replaced whatever dresser she had previously. It looked like something you would pick up at a yard sale for a dollar.

Looking around the room I could tell the room once held a bed, dresser, and chest of drawers. I found another box and walking over to it I found some personal items ones I figured she probably never wanted anyone finding as they were under everything else in the box which consisted of a couple of magazines that looked like she had picked up from a doctor's offices and a few more pictures of her with friends or family members. I couldn't help but look at her again and think how truly beautiful she was when she smiled.

I briefly wondered what she had to smile about now. Looking around her house I could see her when she first moved in smiling happy excited but now that it was all being taken away from her I could almost feel the sadness in the house. I could feel the heaviness of the air the unshed tears of desperation and I no longer fucking cared if she had targeted Ranger. He fucking had enough money to help her and still be fucking rich.

I sat the things back in the box careful to place them just as they had been before I touched them. She didn't need to know her privacy was invaded. She didn't need to feel any more fucked over than she already felt.

I quickly packed a bag. It's a good thing I brought a bag with me because she had nothing. I put some underwear and a change of clothes. I would add a couple of my t-shirts for her to sleep in as I didn't find any sleepwear. I put a few of her cosmetics in the bag but made a note to pick up a toothbrush and big tube of toothpaste for her.

The second bedroom was completely empty. Looking at the room it didn't appear to have had any furniture in it to begin with. I closed the door and made my way out of the house. When I opened the door one of her neighbors had just stepped on to the porch; fuck.

"Excuse me Mr? Are you planning on renting the house?" The woman asked me. I put my hand in my pocket making it look like I had a key to the place and had just pocketed it. I smiled and shook my head no.

"No why is it available for rent?" I asked her. She didn't indicate yes or no only offered.

"Well I don't know. Stephanie had a sale a few weeks ago now well maybe longer maybe closer to a month. She said she was thinking about moving across country and she needed to get rid of stuff. She sold all of her furniture. She even sold her bedroom suite including the box spring and mattress the people bought it all. She also sold a bunch of her clothing, and shoes saying she would buy more of them when she got wherever it was she was moving to." So was she planning on moving? If so, why was she looking for a job? Nothing was adding up.

"Stephanie was involved in a car wreck earlier today and she is currently in the hospital. I was asked to come get a few of her things as she will be staying in the hospital for a few days because of her injuries." I told the woman. I then had another thought.

"Do you know any of Stephanie's relatives, or boyfriend? I could contact them to let them know." I asked her and she shook her head no.

"I don't think she had a boyfriend. I never saw a man over here until I saw you. She never has anyone over to her house that I have ever seen. She is private I don't know a whole lot about her to be honest." She admitted to me and I nodded.

"Thank you." I said as I stepped off of the porch heading toward the SUV. I guess it was time to pay a visit to the hospital to let Tank and Ranger know what I found.

I briefly wondered what her fucking angle was. She sold her shit because she was moving yet she was looking for a job. She pulled in front of the Porsche was it because she saw it and decided to angle for money or was it because it was what the people said at the scene she was busy looking behind her instead of in front of her as if she was running from something? If she was fucking running from something what the fuck was it? Someone if so who and why?

None of it was adding up and none of it was making sense and I couldn't help but think she was fucking playing some angle. She was a woman it was what women did they fucking played men only this was elaborate. If she was playing Ranger I had to give it to her she was playing a fucking Oscar worth performance.

She certainly had Ranger holding his dick in his hand and Ranger had us jumping through fucking hoops like God damn dogs at the circus. I would say like the tigers and lions but somehow this seemed lower and dumber than that. More mundane and less spectacular as lions and tigers jumping through flaming hoops, this was more average and less spectacular.

There was a part of me that wanted to feel sorry for this woman when I was at her place but hearing her neighbor, seeing her place, trying to piece all of these things that didn't make sense to me made it harder and harder to feel sorry for her and not question what the fuck she was up to.

I already didn't trust women and there was nothing I was learning about this woman that was making me like her or giving me a reason to feel like I could trust her anymore than any other conniving bitch that walked the street. In fact the more I learned the more I was feeling like she couldn't be trusted. Ranger should have fucking walked away and let the EMTS deal with this woman. This was a huge fucking mistake one we would all be fucking paying for.

I briefly wondered if calling him to the mats to clear his fucking head wasn't needed to stop this train wreck before it started. The only problem, the train wreck had already happened when she pulled in front of him and he ran into her. Fuck why couldn't people be more aware of their God damn fucking surroundings?

**I know this Lester is hard to take but I promise things will get better….Let me know what you think…Leave a review!**


	10. Chapter 10: Restarting of Hearts

**Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! For those that have Private messages turned off that left Reviews thank you for the reviews! I love reading every one of them so keep them coming.**

**I want to Thank Margaret Fowler for encouraging this story out of me. When I mentioned it to you 6 – 7 months ago you didn't let it die in my head. You kept pressing for it so here it is finally being written! I hope it is everything you thought it would be.**

**Standard Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine. They belong to JE I just take them out of the box and play with them a little. I have begged to keep Ranger and Lester for myself but I have yet to get a response… **

**Chapter 10: Restarting of Hearts**

**RPOV**

I had watched them roll her away and it was all I could do to stand in one spot and let them take her away from me. I wanted to be closer to her. I needed to be closer to her. I briefly thought how fucked up my mind had become on this last mission and wondered if I would be calling a therapist in to talk to. I hated that shit. I hated to show weakness in having to talk through my feelings and emotions to get my head on back on fucking straight. It wouldn't be the first time but it I still hated it.

I knew I was dealing with some form of post traumatic stress and I was allowing this woman who reminded me of the woman's life I took during the mission to fill the missing piece in me. But I wasn't willing to admit that to anyone else. I knew once I worked through the issues I had I would be able to let her go just like every other woman in my life.

I never had an issue letting go.

I paced the room like a caged tiger waiting to hear anything. I wanted to go join Tank in the waiting room but the less he saw of this side of me the better. I didn't need his fucking questions or his judgmental glances.

I had already seen them; I already had them I didn't need anything more from him to let me know how truly fucked up my mind was at the moment.

I finally couldn't take the pacing anymore what the fucked had I turned into someone who worries over a woman. I mean I wasn't a fucking marshmallow. I was a fucking man who had his balls and was in charge of them. I threw open the door like taking it off of its hinges causing Ram and Vince both to jump at the sudden movement and loud banging sound as the door's handle probably went through the cheap fucking sheet rock on the wall it bounced off of.

I smiled inwardly at scaring them they should have been more prepared. I gave them both a look that told them of my disproval of them jumping like fucking school girls who had just had a bug thrown their directions; pussies. I didn't say a word, just continued my stride forward in search of Tank. I needed answers.

I had a set my don't fuck with me look on my face and it must be working as it had people moving out of my way as I made my way down the hall. I inwardly smiled at how much better this felt than pacing that fucking room with the thoughts of her bounding around off of the walls.

I breathed in deep and let it out slowly and those around me that heard moved further away. This I knew, this I could relate to, this I enjoyed and even loved to a degree. This was me the man who was dangerous the man who was lethal the man who should be feared; the soldier.

I finally turned the corner and as soon as Tank saw me he was in motion meeting me half way across the room. He knew I was there for answers and I could tell by the look on his face he had some. Maybe not everything I wanted but some.

"They took her to surgery. A rib had damaged her lung and they need to fix the internal bleeding." I told him and he nodded not asking anything further.

"The documents you requested are ready if you should need them. I will have them delivered here so if it becomes a question I will have them ready to file with the hospital." He told me. I nodded.

"Go ahead and file them like we have with every one of our employees. Just explain she is a newly hired employee and we hadn't had a chance to file the paper work." I told him. He paused for a moment looking at me and he nodded. I am not sure what he was looking for or what fucking question he just answered but I let it slide. There were certain things I wasn't ready to discuss with him or anyone else at the moment so the less that was brought up the better.

"What have you learned so far?" I asked him and he shook his head; nothing. I wanted to slam my fist into his fucking gut but I refrained. I briefly wondered what the fuck had he been doing all this time. I wondered if he had been out here sitting on his God damn thumbs instead doing what I had told him.

"Rangeman I have people researching but they haven't gotten back with me. Lester is doing a background check and then he is going to be searching her home. As soon as they know something they will let me know and I will let you know." He told me. I breathed in deeply and slowly let it out allowing the air flowing through my nose to calm the monster within me that was readying itself for the hunt, the fight, and ultimately the kill.

My eyes briefly flashed and I was more in control than I had been my patience allowing him more time to find the information I so desperately wanted to know. I wanted to know more about the woman that was lying in the operating room, the woman who had been lying unconscious before me, the woman whose path had gotten dangerously tangled with mine when she ran in front of me and I hit her totaling both of our cars.

I looked back at Tank and I nodded letting him know that I was for now accepting his half assed fucking excuses for not having the information I requested when I requested it and turned to head back to the room. I knew I would return to pacing and I knew where my thoughts would return while I was waiting for her to be returned to me but for now I had held them off as long as they were willing to be held off.

I slammed my blank face down as I made my way down the hallway watching people move for me once again brought an inward smile. I had no doubts Ram and Vince would still be standing guard when I got back to the door. I was glad to see that they had not disappointed me. Walking up to them I decided to give them a little break.

"One at a time take a break, get something to drink, something eat, sit for a few minutes. I don't know how long she will be in OR but until she gets back I will be in the room so one of you can take a break until then. When she comes back or wherever they put her I want you both on her door at all times from them on. If you need relief you know to call someone else to relieve you until your shift is over." I told them making it extremely clear what I expected and they nodded.

I knew they understood and I knew my orders would be carried out no questions asked. This may be a democratic country but Rangeman wasn't run like that. I was the head and they followed my fucking orders like it or not. If not they dealt with the consequences which was my wrath.

I walked back into the room and attempted to sit back down in the seat by the window but I couldn't force myself to sit. I wasn't ready to sit so the pacing began. I was considering no news good news at this point but I wasn't happy about it.

**BPOV**

Fuck, we have been in the OR for twenty minutes we make the first cut to access her lung and she fucking crashes. I knew it was risky with her numbers we all knew that but I hadn't told Ranger how risky it was. I knew she had to be fixed and this was the only way so it was sort of a catch twenty-two thing.

He didn't need to know the risks. I didn't promise to save her life on purpose because I wasn't sure I could I only promised to do everything I could do and I was fucking trying. She wasn't playing along but I was trying in spite of her to save her life. Not only for her but at this point it was just as much for Ranger.

I was doing chest compressions trying to restart her heart while they were getting the crash cart loaded. Once they yelled clear I cleared back and they pressed the paddles to her chest and pushed the button. Her little body jolted up off of the bed and fell back down. But her heart failed to restart.

I quickly upped the wattage to what the doctor called out and he once again put the paddles to her chest and pushed the button. Her body once again jumped up off of the bed and shook this time slightly more violently as the wattage was higher. I couldn't help but close my eyes and send a prayer up that we didn't have to up it anymore. The thought wasn't out of my mind well before I heard the faint beat of her heart restarting; thank fuck.

I didn't want to have to face Ranger and tell him that we had lost her on the table. I wasn't certain if the hospital would survive if that were to happen. It might happen before this was over but I was going to do everything under my power to see that it didn't happen at least not on my watch, and this was definitely my watch. He had trusted me with her. I could see in his eyes what that meant what it was costing him and I didn't want to let him down.

Once we had her stabilized we continued with the surgery. The rib had punctured the lung but I had seen worse. It was really only superficial just enough for surgery but thankfully it hadn't punctured the lung all the way through. Had it I doubted she would have lasted this long.

The Surgeon and I got working and before long the bleeding had been stopped and the lung repaired. She was going to be sore for some time. We set the rib back in place and once she was stitched up we would brace the whole area to help hold the rib in place until it had time to start the healing process.

There was no getting around the pain other than just pain medication and limited movement for the time being. But with her arm and leg broken I doubt there would be much movement for a while.

I briefly wondered how she would be when she woke up if she would want my help or if she would turn it down and I smiled thinking how Ranger would deal with her if she refused him. Maybe there was something to look forward to after all.

I closed her up careful to place the stitches close together in small stitches to limit the scaring but she was going to have a scar there was no getting around the scar it just wouldn't be as bad as if I allowed them to staple her or one of the others in the room were to stitch her up.

I wanted to go out and be with Ranger when the Doctor's went out to talk to him but I promised I wouldn't leave her. I knew the protocol was to take her to recovery but I also knew that Ranger would never allow that. I didn't even need to ask him to know what he would say.

**RPOV**

I had been pacing when I heard footsteps nearing the room from the back hallway. I stilled myself ready for whatever was necessary. I knew that only hospital staff had access to that back hallway but I also knew how easy it was to pay your way through their protocols. Hell I had done it for all of Rangeman. You want something you fucking lined the hand of the person that could give you what you wanted. I wasn't a fool as to how business was run and even though it is a hospital it is a business just like every other fucking business.

When your money built addition wings, buildings, and bought state of the art equipment they rarely if ever told you no or weren't able work out something agreeable for all parties.

I had my hand near my gun on the off chance I would need it. Some may say I am paranoid some may even classify me a little psycho maybe they were right but I preferred to look at it as I have fucking lived this long with the enemies I had. It wasn't because I took unnecessary chances and was callous with own safety.

I was never not aware of my surroundings; ever. There was knock on the door and I told whoever it was to enter with my hand on my gun. I was more at rest once I heard the knock as I doubt my enemies would knock and further alert me but never being one to take unnecessary chances I had pulled my gun and was holding it by my side. Ready if needed.

The doctor walked in and I was glad not to see Brown. I took it to mean he was with Stephanie. He walked up to me "Ranger she pulled through and we will be moving her to recovery shortly. Once we move her to a room you will be able to see her again." He stated as if I would have no say or no concern over his choice. He should know better.

"She is to come back here if you need someone to sit with her you fucking pull them. I can't protect her from danger in recovery it's too open, too many people coming and going. Someone could slip in." I told him. Not accepting his little decision that he had made without discussing this with any of us. He started to open his mouth again to refute me. Little did he know I was ready for his explanations.

"Doctor standard Rangeman protocol is to be maintained when my people have surgery they come back here so they can be protected. They are unable to protect themselves they need protection. Need I remind you the enemies I have. Need I remind you what could happen if these protocols aren't followed and need I remind you what I am willing to do to you if something happens to her? now is not the time to fuck with me, or risk her life and by not bringing her back here to this room where I and my men can protect her in my eyes you are risking her life." I told him. I saw him shake and take a big swallow of fear. I dialed it back a notch I didn't want him pissing himself.

He nodded. "You should know that things didn't go so well on the table. She coded and we had to jump start her heart to get it beating again. She needs to be monitored closely I am not sure her needs can be met in this room." He said. I knew that was bull shit. This room had everything and anything you would need to monitor anyone in the hospital. If it didn't I would see to it that it had what it needed before I left here.

"If it doesn't have something it needs then I suggest you procure whatever you need because she comes back here and she will be monitored by whatever she needs. I am holding you personally accountable if I lose her because of your incompetence you will fucking answer for it." I told him. I didn't have to elaborate how he would answer only that he would. I was pretty sure at this point it would be with his fucking life.

He paled slightly and then nodded. We had picked these team of doctors because they were the best but sometimes in them being the best they thought they knew what was best and had to be reminded of our protocols and procedures and how they were to be maintained and followed at all times and at all costs. When you added her to the mix it became even more important.

I would analyze my comments about her to the doctor later once I knew she was safely back within the walls of this room. I felt the tiger within me twitch as I started once again pacing the room; waiting.

**BPOV**

We were in the OR room and we were waiting for the doctor to come back before moving her. I already knew where we were going but I allowed him to have his little bit of fun just to see what Ranger was going to do. I guess I wasn't surprised when the Doctor walked back into the OR room freshly gowned, gloved, fresh shoe and hair covers and announced we were moving her to the room we had came from. I noted his slightly paler color and I wondered what demon within Ranger had he faced and lived to tell about it.

"We need to get the monitoring equipment and I need to pull a nurse from recovery." He said and I nodded my head.

"You get whatever piece of equipment you need for monitoring but I will monitor her and watch her until she wakes up, if she wakes up." I added knowing that she was unconscious when we started and she may remain unconscious until her body has the juice it needs to wake back up.

The human body needs certain things to be a certain way in order for you to maintain consciousness and right now her body wasn't where it needed to be. It was too depleted to reboot so to speak. It would be like trying to start up a computer without the hard drive. Will it turn on? Yes. Will it do anything? Not really. Not with some sort of device to boot off of nothing really happens. Well when a person's PH levels are off that is essentially what happens, the body is on in that you are breathing, you are living but you don't function; you can't wake up.

Until her numbers were more in the normal range and her ph levels were more neutral would she actually be able wake up.

We moved her to the bed from the operating table and in picking her up I couldn't help but feel how light she really is. It isn't like she weighs nothing. I mean you say ninety eight pounds and you think a hundred pounds but when you pick her up the realization of how tiny she really hits you. We carefully laid her on the bed and then set the wheels in motion moving her back to the room.

I looked down and saw the tubes attached to her and I knew Ranger wouldn't understand all of the tubes when he first saw her. Hopefully he would give me the opportunity to explain them before jumping to conclusions and acting without thinking. Acting without thinking wasn't something Ranger ever did until today. I once again found myself wondering what the fuck had happened to him on the mission.

Nearing the room I looked at the members of the team walking with me and I just hoped they were safe walking in there with her like this.

I walked up and knocked on the door and I heard him say "Enter". I knew he was going to be ready with gun in hand. I didn't comment I figured he would holster his gun fast enough and hopefully the others wouldn't even be paying attention. The woman held their attention as they continued to fiddle with her as we made our way down the hall and into the room.

Ranger's eyes met mine and I knew explanations were necessary. I left her to walk up to him while the rest of the team busied themselves with getting her hooked back up to monitors and various machines. Oxygen, heart monitor, vitals machines, etc.

"Man she coded in the OR about twenty minutes in but we were able to bring her back. We were able to complete the procedure and she should have a full recovery. The tubes are just to help her breathe while her lungs get a jump start on recovering. The rest is cables and things for monitoring or what she already had prior to the OR. The brace is for the broken rib to help support it so it will heal correctly. Besides that the only additional monitor is the heart monitor that is reporting data to the heart center, as well as the ER station, and I will remain in the room with her until we are certain we won't have another occurrence of her heart stopping." I told him.

His eyes had never left her the whole time I was talking to him and I was wonder if he even realized that from the time we had stepped back into the room he hadn't broken eye contact with her. He nodded letting me know he had heard what I had said but he didn't say anything.

Ranger was never one to mix words with but it was odd that he didn't have something to say especially after everything I had told him. I expected some reaction from him other than no eye contact and a simple nod of his head. His eyes gave nothing away as they were locked on the woman lying unconscious in the bed.

I couldn't help but wonder yet again what it was about the woman that had Ranger tied up to the point that he couldn't pull his eyes away from her, or fucking speak. Damn I didn't talk much but even I knew it was fucking rude not to speak to someone that had spoken to you. My momma taught me that and I was pretty sure Ranger's mother taught him that too. But I wasn't fucking dumb enough to ask him at least not today.

I walked back over to the woman double checking what they had done to make sure everything was right. Once I was satisfied it was, and that we had done all that we could do and there was nothing left to do. I decided to take a seat in the chair and just wait, watch, and see what was going to happen. It was out of our hands at this point. I briefly looked over at Ranger and wondered what this would mean for him.

**RPOV**

Fuck, I heard the footsteps and the wheels of the bed and I knew they were bringing her back. Part of me was glad to see her again. See her hair, her fair skin, her small little body. To know that she was still alive and that she was still with me. I knew I needed to address the second part of that sentence at some point but right now wasn't the time. I didn't have time before they would be in the room with her.

I heard the knock at the door and I told them to enter even though I made sure I was ready just on the off chance it wasn't who I thought it was. But it was her, the team and Bobby that walked into the room. The team immediately got started hooking up to the various machines and I couldn't help but stare at her.

She looked so small she had tubes and cables connected to her, she had a brace on, and she had a tube in her mouth. If possible it looked like her size had reduced from the time she had left the room. I knew it wasn't possible but it looked as though it had. My eyes caught Bobby but only by chance he happened to look at me right when he crossed my gaze that had been locked on her from the moment she walked into the room.

I wasn't able to shift my focus away from her. He walked over to me and after I heard she coded on the table I vaguely remember hearing about the tubes and the brace. Fuck I could have lost her and I didn't even fucking know her. How is it possible that I am feeling this shit I am feeling for a woman I didn't even know. This mission had fucked me up and those mother fuckers that caused it got off too easy. I should have slit their throats in that room.

Had I known then what I know now those fuckers would have never made it to draw another breath in. I didn't realize how their little stunt had truly fucked up my head. But with each moment I stared at her unable to release my eyes from her I was beginning to wonder if there wasn't more to this whole thing.

Immediately refusing to focus on that thought I shifted my thoughts back to how I was going to further seek revenge for what they had fucking put me through and had caused. Now I had a woman that I couldn't seem to walk away from because she asked me for my help, all because of their shit.

I saw Bobby's irritation in my peripheral vision when I realized I had just nodded that I heard him but I hadn't really heard him my thoughts were all over the place on anything other than what he was saying. Not that I would admit that to him by asking him to repeat what he had just said. I let him walk away annoyed with me so long as he took care of her and did whatever it was she needed so she could continue to live I didn't give a fuck if he was annoyed with me, pissed at me, or wanted to fucking kill me. He'd fucking get over it or he wouldn't but he sure as fuck wouldn't be stupid enough to say anything to my face or do anything about it.

This wasn't about me this was about her. She was all that mattered at the moment and I was going to have to figure out how to come to terms with these feelings and how to walk away from them because I always walked away. This time would be no different I just needed to figure out how. I just needed to figure out how to help her and then I would be able to let her go and walk away.

**Tell me what you think….leave a review!**


	11. Chapter 11: The More You Learn

**Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! For those that have Private messages turned off that left Reviews thank you for the reviews! I love reading every one of them so keep them coming.**

**I want to Thank Margaret Fowler for encouraging this story out of me. When I mentioned it to you 6 – 7 months ago you didn't let it die in my head. You kept pressing for it so here it is finally being written! I hope it is everything you thought it would be.**

**Standard Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine. They belong to JE I just take them out of the box and play with them a little. I have begged to keep Ranger and Lester for myself but I have yet to get a response… **

**This is the last update this week. Next week I may need to switch to updating every other day as my work life and home life are getting really busy but we will see how things go if I can stay far enough ahead on the chapters I will continue to update every day! I will make the decision and let you know with Monday's update. There will definitely be a Monday update!  
**

**Chapter 11: The more you learn...**

**LPOV**

I made my way to the hospital. I figured I would report either directly to Tank or Ranger whatever he wanted. I had the background check I had run with me and I had been running what I learned at her place and from her neighbor through my head trying to make sense of it all.

Women never made any fucking sense to me so I really wasn't expecting an answer. It was just something about this was eating at me and I couldn't figure out what it was. It was like something that was sitting out just waiting for me to understand it. It felt like once I put the piece together it would feel like one of those duh fucking moments. Something that you should have seen all along and yet managed to over look it and I hated that feeling.

I took my job seriously, I took figuring out the puzzle seriously and I wouldn't relax or take it easy until I figured out this puzzle.

I walked into the hospital about the same time as one of the Trenton Cops walked in. I knew who he was in passing and doing the little work we did for the Trenton Police Department that I was responsible for. Besides that I didn't have any dealings with the man. He wasn't my favorite officer as he seemed to have a fucking beef with us. I was never sure why I only knew that he had one. I hadn't paid it a whole lot of attention; fucking jealous of what he wasn't.

He had tried to fuck up a few of our take downs when we had previously cleared them with the department. I don't think he felt like we belonged and I was pretty sure that none of us really wanted him there as a cop either. For now we just both existed trying to not think about the other's existence too much.

I watched as he slithered up to the receptionist window and I trailed back listening in on what was being said between him and the receptionist. I knew he thought he was laying on the charm fuck I had seen that move more than one time; I played it myself. Turn on the charm to loosen the tongue.

I could usually get the information I wanted out of any woman you just needed to know the right kind of moves and pressure to apply and you could have them singing like a sweet fucking canary. Speaking of fucking well that wasn't off the table if I wanted it I had certainly played that card enough to know exactly how it worked.

"Sweet cheeks, you know who I am?" I heard him ask the girl behind the counter and I wanted to fucking punch him. He was ruining it for all men that knew what the fuck they were doing. His performance wasn't worthy of a punch his performance was worthy of a bitch slap and I half wished she would just slap the fuck out of him for even trying. What the hell? Did no one teach this fucker anything?

I saw her shake her head and part of me wanted to laugh that she didn't know who he was or if she did she wasn't admitting she knew. I could see her eyes and for some stupid ass reasons this fucker was making headways with the bitch. I chalked it up to pure stupidity on the chick's part.

I continued to watch feeling like this had something to do with the woman that Ranger had become fucking obsessed with.

"I am Joe Morelli, I am here because there was an accident earlier today and a patient was brought here by the name of Stephanie Plum. I need to speak to her concerning the accident." He said and I knew I was right. I walked around to the side where I could still hear but remain out of sight for now.

If he knew the girl then he would know who she hit and he would see me and while he is a dumb ass on so many levels he would put me together with Ranger and start asking me a bunch of fucking questions that I had no intention of answering today or ever.

"We don't have any patients here by that name." I heard her say and I smiled. I knew protocol and a part of me was glad that Ranger had them follow protocol even for the woman. I couldn't place it but for some reason I didn't really like Morelli asking questions about her.

I moved on, I knew the girl wasn't privy to the information of who the woman really was so I knew for now he wasn't getting in. He would probably figure it out if he was persistent enough but I also knew he wasn't the sharpest knife. You only needed to hear his pickup lines and know that. I knew not having the vital pieces of information would hold him off for a while but I made a note to tell Tank when I saw him to expect the police sticking their nose in soon.

I made my way to the lobby where I knew Tank was sitting. I sat down beside him turning a little to face him. Looking at him I started with the easiest part of the conversation we were about to have. "The police are circling it won't be long before they know she is here and they will be demanding to talk to her." I told him. He raised his eye brow in question.

"Walking in just now Joe Morelli came in trying to get information on a Stephanie Plum. Thankfully the receptionist didn't know about the name change because had she, she would have been signing everything she knew for his attention." I told Tank and he understood where I was going with this. He just nodded his understanding.

Now on to the harder part of the conversation, I handed him the background check for him to review first. He took it from me opening it and began to read what I had discovered. Every now and then he would glance up at me and I would just nod. I didn't know what he was questioning, what he was looking at or why he would chose to look at me but everything in there was accurate.

When he had finished reading it I spoke up. "I went by her place. Man there is almost nothing there if it wasn't for a couple of boxes of personal stuff, an air mattress, a closet with the barest of clothing half of which are in this bag, and a kitchen table and chairs you wouldn't think anyone lived in the house. Her bank account is accurate that is how much money is there and there appears to be no more money anywhere else. Her neighbor told me she told her that she was moving across country and wanted to sell everything to keep from having to move it. Yet you said you found want ads circled where she had been looking for a job here. I am not sure what to make of it." I added. I watched Tank's eyes as he took in what I was saying he too was trying to place the pieces together to make sense of it.

He spoke up "We did find the want ads in the car with her they had been circled and a few of the circles had an x through them while one or two had a check mark. If she was moving why was she looking for a job?" he said and I couldn't help but think Bingo fucking question of the day but I refrained from saying that out loud. Instead I just shook my head back and forth and raised my shoulders. None of it makes any sense to me and I had been trying to put the pieces together since I spoke to the neighbor.

"Her house has no food other than a box of saltine crackers. Her power has been shut off along with her cable and cell phone. Her Visa card is frozen due to missed payments as well as her Macy's card. Her car payment hasn't been paid in several months and I suspect it was up for repo, not that she is going to have to worry about that now unless she didn't have insurance on it." I told him and he just listened to me.

"You found no other food than crackers?" He asked me and I shook my head no.

"That's all the food she had in the house." I told him confirming his question. She had sold everything except for bare necessities and that table and chairs.

"Man I don't know how but I am questioning if she singled Ranger out somehow. That she somehow set him up to hit her thinking she could set him up for maybe a lawsuit, or get compensation or something from him." I vocalized to Tank but I could see him having a more difficult time seeing the logic in my reasoning.

It was an intuitive leap but Tank wasn't a dumb man and I knew he was capable of making that leap I just didn't understand why he wasn't making it already. It wasn't that difficult to see the advantages it would bring her to accidently have Ranger hit her.

People had orchestrated much higher level cons for a whole lot less potential payout. It made perfectly logical sense to me as a possibility but I don't think Tank was buying it.

"Do you want me filling Ranger in on all of this or do you want to tell him?" I questioned him wanting to get this shit over with and be on to my way back to Rangeman where I could focus on real work and not some life of a Trenton girl that I could have given a shit less about.

"Man he is waiting to learn more about her so I think you should go back and see if you can get in to talk to him and tell him what you have learned." Tank said and I had to say I wasn't surprised. Fuck. If I wasn't seeing things, I saw the flash of him laughing his ass off at telling me to go back and fill in the boss; fucker was all I had to say. Of course I kept that to myself.

I was hoping Tank would just send me back to Rangeman and he would do the dirty work of telling Rangeman but no I had to do it. Great, just fucking great this was going to end up one big colossal fuck up I could feel it and I hadn't even gotten to the room yet.

I Turned the corner and saw Vince and Ram standing guard and I couldn't help but think waste more fucking money. Of course I also knew Ranger was in the room and I knew he wasn't focused on the things he should be focused on right now so part of me was glad they were here for him just as much as they were there for her. She didn't need fucking body guards. But I wouldn't say anything as they were also watching his back and until he got his head back on straight they needed to watch his back.

I bumped fists with Ram and nodded to Vince as I knocked on the door. I opened the door and there stood Ranger between me and the girl in the bed as if I were someone that was walking in to harm her. I had no plans to hurt her even though I had no real plans to help her either.

When he saw me he stepped back and let me walk into the room. I looked over at her and I had to admit if she had planned on setting Ranger up on some con then she certainly got the short end but then again if she was doing part of me couldn't but feel that she got exactly what she deserved.

Part of me wanted to feel sorry for her seeing the tubes, seeing the machines hooked up to her but I couldn't shake what I had been ingrained in me about women. I knew how conniving they could be I had been stepped on and betrayed once and it nearly cost me my life.

The room was dark she was still out I wasn't sure if she was just sleeping, or if it was from the surgery she had been through, or if it was that she hadn't woken up since the accident. I looked back at Ranger and I could see the exhaustion pulling on him. He hadn't been able to rest any from the mission. He hadn't been able to adjust to civilian life before he had been thrown into this hospital room. At least in here it limited him to civilian access so there were only a small number of people that were endangering themselves being around him.

I would have wondered about the safety of the woman but he was busting everyone's balls trying to protect her and learn all he could about her so I figured she was safe from him. Fuck right now she was probably the safest woman on the planet. I would wager to bet she was safer than the President.

The president may have secret service protection but none of them were as dangerous or as deadly as Ranger.

"Man what's up?" I asked him thinking I would ease into the conversation I wanted to have with him. I wanted to see if I could figure out what was going on in his fucked up head. I saw the team of doctors and nurses along with Bobby working on the woman and I tried to ignore them and talk low enough for them not to hear me.

Ranger isn't into the question as he just raises an eyebrow at me. I can tell by the look in his eyes he has no intention of answering my question or mixing words with me. I decide to surrender I know when I will lose and right now isn't the time to fuck with him. Not in a room full of people.

"Man I did the background check. Not much her parents live in Trenton, she worked at E.E. Martin until six months ago when the place was shut down due to fraudulent business practices. It doesn't look like she has had a job since. She has worked through her savings I would say it is safe to say she is penniless with six dollars and ninety cents in her checking account. I didn't even find any savings account, 401Ks I would be safe to say if she had them they are all closed at this point. She is maxed out on her Visa and hasn't paid the bill in several months. They have actually suspended card activity because she is so far in the rears on payments. The same is true for her Macy's card although she isn't maxed out on it." I paused and took a breath before continuing to the worst part.

He never commented only stared at me his eyes dark hard and shining. I wasn't sure what was going through his mind. His face was totally blank and even I couldn't read him; which was rare.

"Her cable, her cell phone, and her electric have all been cut off for lack of payment. I suspect her car was in jeopardy of being repossessed due to lack of payment, but I think you took care of that." I added to lighten the mood but seeing Ranger face I don't think it worked.

"I went to her house, she rents. Man the house is empty except for a couple of boxes of personal crap like pictures, trinkets nothing of value, but a couple of toys that might be interesting and fun to ask her about." I wagged my eye brows at him for him to catch on to the meaning.

"Santos" he practically growled at me stepping closer to me with his fists balled up his body tense and pure hatred rolling off him in waves and I found myself putting my hands up in surrender mode. Fucker has got to loosen up.

"Damn Man chill. The woman is unconscious in the bed. Anyway the only furniture she has in the apartment is a table and chairs in the kitchen and an air mattress, if you can call that furniture, in her bedroom. Her closet is bare bones most of her clothing is in the bag." I motioned to the bag in my hand. "She is using makeup that you can tell had been purchased at some point in the past and then wasn't used for whatever reason, her refrigerator is empty, her cabinets are except for one box of saltine crackers. Looking at her, for what little I can see, I would bet she has been living off of them for longer than any human should have to." I added.

I couldn't see her well but what little I could see of her lying there she looked half starved. With the brace on and the tubes coming out of her it was hard to really see but seeing the hip bones jutting out from her body is more than a tale tell sign of starvation. We had all seen it before some more personally than others. We knew what starvation looked like.

They were working on casting her left lower leg so I assumed she must have broken one or both of the bones of her leg. Her arm was already in a cast. She had gotten seriously messed up.

I cleared my throat as I neared the most difficult part of the conversation. But I felt like he needed to hear this part and he needed to hear my thoughts. "Man while I was at her house her neighbor met me on the porch as I was leaving. I told her about her accident and being in the hospital. I also asked her about the woman she didn't know a whole lot about her. Didn't know her family or friends but she did say that she had a sale and sold all of her things saying she was moving across country and didn't want to pack everything. That she would buy what she needed when she got where she was going." I told him.

He looked at me I could see questions and I knew I didn't have answers for all of them. I only hoped that he would ask me questions that I could answer. "Did the neighbor say if she said where she was going?" He asked me and I shook my head no.

"No she didn't say, she just said she had told her across country." I answered

"But earlier I was told she had the classified ads with help wanted ads circled as if she was job hunting." He stated and I nodded.

"Yeah that is what I didn't get if she is moving why is she looking for a job? I couldn't make sense of it. Why would you sell everything you own because you are moving and then be searching for a job? I think she set you up. I think she saw you coming and deliberately put herself directly in your path. She probably saw your car and thought money." I told him but as I was speaking I saw his eyes turning colder and I knew I wasn't getting through to him. He didn't like what I was saying and he was about to show me just how much he didn't like it; fuck. I knew this was going to end badly.

"Santos, I am going to forget you just said that." He said his voice deep and darker than it had been the entire time I had been in the room. I nodded thinking the whole time fine fucker forget it. I had warned him let her take his ass to the fucking cleaners.

"I want you to find out if she did fill out applications at the placed circled on the ads." He said and I nodded. I should have seen that coming and already had someone doing it but honestly I thought he would pack up and ship out after I told him my thoughts. Guess I was wrong we were destined to jump through more fucking hoops.

"Is that all?" I asked before leaving.

"I told you I want to learn more see what you can find out about her. From where she went today to who her friends are, she has to have some friends in this world find them. I can't help her if I don't know anything about her." He said and I nodded. Damn he was still going to do this.

"You do realize that we still have Rangeman to run? We have clients to meet, properties to watch. We still have a fucking job that needs to get done." I told him trying to remind him of Rangeman needing some attention that he had clients that needed his attention instead of this woman lying unconscious in the hospital bed.

"Santos I haven't forgotten about Rangeman. Rangeman will be fine it has you, and Tank you both can handle Rangeman and my requests. Delegate if necessary. You should be able to do both, if not then you are fucking off." He said questioning me with his damn quirked eyebrow but the look in his face had me to the point that I was swallowing hard and nodding that I could handle it.

It was all I could do to hold my pissed off state within and not yell out at him to get his fucking head on straight. But since I liked my head attached to my body I decided to keep my mouth shut. I briefly wondered if he realized the irony of him questioning me if I was fucking off while he sits in a fucking hospital room staring at a woman lying unconscious in the bed. The fucker needs to get laid.

I turned and walked to the door. I was pissed but right now wasn't the time to voice it I would wait until we were in the room alone. I opened the door and walked through probably a little more forceful than I really intended but I never looked back when the door crashed into the wall. I just continued to make my way out of the hospital. I was pretty sure Ranger would be calling my ass to the mats for that one; shit.

I got in the SUV pulled the copy of her background to see if I could find anything to go on to find any friends. I noticed her emergency contact for her doctor office and for when she was at EE Martin was a woman. Mary Lou Stankovic it seemed she lived in the area close to the woman's childhood home.

I briefly wondered what Mary Lou was to Stephanie? Were they partners, each other's significant others? Since she wasn't married why hadn't she listed her parent's as her emergency contact?

When I looked closer at her E.E. Martin employment records I saw where her life insurance policy beneficiary was listed as Mary Alice and Angie Breeden. I needed to do a little more research to see who these people were and what they meant to Stephanie, the Woman.

I debated going to see her parent's but I didn't think Ranger wanted to have to deal with parent's right now although it would have been fun to watch him wiggle like a worm in having to deal with them. He hated to deal with his own parent's and he loved them. Something just told me to hold back talking to them; I couldn't explain it.

Instead I decided to play it safer than normal and decided to run to Rangeman to do a little further investigating into the people in the woman's life.

I needed to stay removed, I didn't want to get caught up in who this woman was so the more I reminded myself to not use her name the better off I was. I pulled into Rangeman hoping I would find what I was looking for and be able to wrap this up quickly so I could get back to the important work.

The important work of Rangeman we had properties to protect, contracts to work on, and most importantly we had skips that needed to be hunted down and picked up. Personally that was my favorite part of my job.

**Tell me what you think….Leave a review!**


	12. Chapter 12: Meet Mr Lester Santos

**Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! For those that have Private messages turned off that left Reviews thank you for the reviews! I love reading every one of them so keep them coming.**

**I want to Thank Margaret Fowler for encouraging this story out of me. When I mentioned it to you 6 – 7 months ago you didn't let it die in my head. You kept pressing for it so here it is finally being written! I hope it is everything you thought it would be.**

**Standard Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine. They belong to JE I just take them out of the box and play with them a little. I have begged to keep Ranger and Lester for myself but I have yet to get a response… **

**This is the last update this week. Next week I may need to switch to updating every other day as my work life and home life are getting really busy but we will see how things go if I can stay far enough ahead on the chapters I will continue to update every day! I will make the decision and let you know with Monday's update. There will definitely be a Monday update!**

**Chapter 12: Meet Mr. Lester Santos**

**LPOV**

I got out of the SUV and went up to the fifth floor to my office. The core team members all had offices everyone else just had cubicles. I walked into my office and I frowned when I saw the pile of skips sitting on the corner of my desk.

I knew they were sitting there ready for me to go over the background checks. I was to form the plan for when it was best to pick them up. I would much rather being doing that than this shit Rangeman had me doing.

He knew I wasn't the man to do this a few years ago maybe I would have actually enjoyed something like this but not for a while now. I enjoyed sniffing out the skips. I enjoyed finding them, I enjoyed the chase, I really enjoyed when they decided to fight back against us. I enjoyed being able to kick the shit out of them and then return them to the system.

I wasn't a pussy that gave a shit about their lives or why they had done what they had done, why they were running. I also didn't attempt to rehabilitate them. I didn't give a fuck, they skipped, we caught them, and we returned them. The frufru shit and the caring was left for TV.

I use to be a more light hearted I use to like jokes, and was considered the jokester of Rangeman and the Rangers when we were active but that all changed a few years ago. Today I was more the don't fuck with me and I won't fuck with you. I no longer want to joke or be a part of them and l no longer really care to have fun because I learned harder than anyone at Rangeman there wasn't shit in this world to laugh or joke about; this world was cruel.

I started pulling up searches on her parent's, her sister, and Mary Lou. I sat back thinking how this was prime example that the world was shot to hell. We were helping a girl who had fucking singled out Rangeman. Her neighbor said she was fucking moving across country had sold everything yet in her car we found help wanted ads and she was dressed in a suit that clearly didn't belong to her. I am not sure who it belonged to but it hung on her like a potato sack.

None of this was adding up and then looking at her medical records nothing listed her parents yet she was single. Instead it was all women's names which made me truly wonder her sexual orientation. She was twenty-nine not married, and not a single man's name listed on any documentation of her life.

I knew that wasn't necessarily the answers for why but I also knew it was a possibility. A few years ago I would have been intrigued by it and thought it was fun to figure out the little mysteries now they only managed to piss me off.

I had been in love, I had enjoyed my life, I had been happy in my life that all ended abruptly three years ago. The woman I was in love with was a fellow soldier who like me ran missions. We were often paired together as we made a great team. We knew we always had each other's back. We always could count on each other. We played parts of being husband and wife or brother and sister but personally I enjoyed the husband and wife acts because then I could touch her, hold her, and kiss her and not have to worry about if someone saw us it would blow our cover.

Our last mission started bad. My handler prior to giving me the mission details gave me orders to eliminate my partner. My handler told me that the person I was going to be partnered with had been compromised. They had been feeding the enemies information and they needed to be eliminated once the mission was completed. I wasn't surprised it wasn't unheard of but I had never been partnered with anyone that had to be eliminated. I wasn't happy about it but I agreed before I knew of the mission details; mistake.

Once I had agreed my handler continued with the details of the mission. The mission itself was fairly simple and I didn't think it was going to be an issue. We just needed to infiltrate a compound and bring back some information. We would rendezvous to a pickup site set up a signal and that is where I was to end my partner's life before setting the signal.

When I stepped on the helicopter I thought I was going to be sick. I wanted to step off and pretend I had never agreed to this mission. I couldn't believe my eyes it was the love of my life, Maggie. She was my partner for the mission. I was going to have to end her life. I was going to have to kill her.

Hooking myself in I wanted to scream. My handler had known who it was all along and chose to keep the identity from me. Looking back I should have asked who it was but at the time I never thought about it and as he was telling me about the mission I didn't think about it anymore now I was seeing the mistake I had made by not asking.

Chances are they would have never told me but while I sat there I couldn't help but chastise myself for not having asked. Had I asked I could have turned down the mission and I wouldn't be in the position I was in. Now I needed to make the decision kill the woman I loved or let her live and risk not completing my mission and face a court martial for deliberately not following orders given to me by my handler.

No matter how you looked at it I was screwed. Killing her would kill me, letting her live would end my life as I knew it. Plus if she was dirty, which I couldn't believe, how many more soldiers would I crucify because I was unwilling to kill the leak. I shook my head trying to clear those thoughts; she couldn't be dirty. Could she?

I didn't know how to tell her, I didn't know how to warn her. We completed the mission as we were making it to the rendezvous point and I was fighting with myself what to do. One minute I was convinced I would let her live and just deal with the shit and the next I was going to kill her. I kept questioning had she fed the enemies information? Had she done what she was accused of doing? If she had she needed to be eliminated, love her or not. If she had gone bad it was done, once that shit happened there was no going good the money was too good and it only got better.

But I just couldn't see it as haven been the case. I couldn't see it that she had done the things they had told me she had done. It just did not make sense.

When we made it to the location I questioned the pickup location. It was an old building that had seen better days. The structure looked sound only abandoned for years with overgrowth. We made our way into the building and up to the roof where there was room for a helicopter to land.

She had walked out onto the roof her back was to me and I pulled my gun aiming it her way. I know it was a chicken shit way but I also knew I would never be able to pull the trigger staring into her eyes. I loved her. I held the gun with her in my sights ready to pull the trigger. She was steadily breaking the glow sticks and slinging them onto the roof. I lowered my weapon unable to fire.

I finally decided fuck it and holstered my weapon. I was standing in the door way I hadn't allowed the door to close behind me as of yet. The second I holstered my weapon she spun around with her weapon and fired. She shot me. Her shot didn't land where it had intended or maybe it did I have never thought about it long enough to decide if I had formed an answer for that question.

She looked at me with tears in her eyes and I am sure she saw the shocked look on my face as she radioed the ready for the helicopter. She looked at me and I will never forget the words. "Lester I didn't think you would ever go bad. I never thought that you would ever be the type of soldier ever able to feed the enemies information. " I shook my head no. She looked at me her eyes shining and I knew she wasn't one to cry. In all the times we worked missions she had never cried regardless of what shit happened, not a single time. "I loved you Lester, you disappointed me."

I was holding my chest blood seeping through my fingers. I shook my head at her. "Maggie I had orders to shoot you. I was told you had been giving the enemies information only I couldn't do it. I couldn't believe you would do it and I loved you too." I told her. I back into the stairway holding the door the pain almost unbearable.

"Maggie it was never the intention for our handlers to let either of us live. You have signaled the helicopter they think I am dead and now you have lit up their target like the fucking fourth." I told her as I let the door to the roof shut and took off as fast as the pain would let me down the three flights of stairs and out of the building. I wasn't but a little ways away when the building blew.

We had been setup, double crossed by our own fucking country. The worst part of it was that they had made up shit to make us believe that the other was dirty. We spent our last mission the last time we were ever to be together questioning our beliefs in each other, our love for each other all in the name of our country.

I knew she was on that roof when it blew. I had left her there part of me felt betrayed that she shot me, that she believed them. That she had it in her to actually shoot me when I couldn't bring myself to shoot her yet she could say she loved me. It was that day that I learned women could never be trusted. Women were colder than any man and could never be trusted with your heart.

She had said she loved me but she never hesitated not a single fucking moment before pulling the trigger and putting a bullet in my chest. I was only lucky that I had lived. I almost died but I was able to give myself enough care and I was able to call on enough friends to get my ass out of that fucked up country and back to the states where Bobby saved my miserable life. Maybe I should have died in that god forsaken Country. My body may have lived but my soul and heart definitely died that day.

My handler learned that I had survived but he never did anything about it. I think he was hoping I never found out about the double cross. I don't know why I had let him live maybe it was because of the broken heart, or the fucked up state of mind I was in sort of a cross between disbelief and misunderstanding. I should have never been that Naïve it will never be the case again. I could never wrap my head around what it was I had done to deserve the order for my life to be taken out. I finally said fuck it and gave up trying to figure it out.

It was my last mission. I had told Ranger to watch his back, I had told them that when he was no longer of service to them or if it fit a higher need he would be stabbed in the back but I never fully think he believed me. He too was living on some form of delusion that they needed him; like I was. Oh they needed him when they needed him but when that need was no longer they wouldn't hesitate cutting him by putting a bullet in his head.

I never shared with anyone the details of the mission. I was one ashamed, that I actually considered taking her life and that I had left her there on the roof top when I had put all of it together. I was pissed that I was treated that way and further embarrassed that I had as of yet done nothing to vindicate what happened. I was further unsure how to handle the embarrassment of it all to trust anyone with my deepest darkest secret.

Bobby and others at Rangeman noticed the change in me. I was no longer happy, I was no longer the jokester, I was no longer laughing, and I was no longer in love. In love was something I would never again be able to afford. It had nearly cost me my life. I don't think I needed further lessons about being in love.

Women were good for one thing and that was all besides that they were never to be trusted and they were incapable of love regardless of what they said. They could say they loved you one minute and fucking put a bullet in your chest the next.

I had a funny feeling Ranger was about to figure that shit out with this woman that he was being so protective over. I just wasn't sure how I was going to prevent it. How I was going to open his eyes to what she was fucking up to.

I pulled the reports I had kicked off and started to look through them. Mary Lou appeared to be married with kids. Looking through their school transcripts I could see where they were in the same school and even a lot of the same classes growing up. So it would appear that they were probably best friends from grade school. She was definitely someone I was going to talk to.

The other reports revealed that Mary Alice and Angie were her nieces. They were both young kids. It made sense why she had them both listed. If something were to happen to her she would want them both to get the money; if there was any money.

Now that she wasn't working for EE Martin and they had been closed to fraudulent behavior I wondered if she still had the life insurance. My guess would be no. It was a benefit while she was working there but with that no longer being the case I guess that also meant those benefits ceased as well.

It was actually a shame, if it were to still exist she would be worth more dead than alive and the insurance money wasn't that much but it was a whole lot more than the six ninety she currently had in the bank.

I reluctantly got up from my chair taking another look at the stack of skips I would much rather be looking at as I made my way out of the office heading for Mary Lou's. Looking at the clock it was fifteen hundred I briefly wondered if I would have time to check the businesses and then swing by Mary Lou's to talk to her.

I grabbed the classified ads that had been brought back to Rangeman and made my way down to my SUV.

It didn't take me long to get downtown and I decided to start at one end and work my way to the other. I went in a clothing store and the woman there was all eager to help me. Unlike Morelli, I knew what I was doing.

I smiled at her letting my green eyes sparkle. I knew she was interested I pulled the picture and stepped up to her counter. "Excuse me miss, but can you tell me if this woman came in here today and filled out a job application?" I asked her.

She smiled at me but when I showed her the picture of the woman she seemed almost miffed in some way. I knew she had seen her it wasn't a reaction someone would have had for no reason. "Yeah she was in earlier." The girl said.

I smiled. "Did she fill out an application?" I asked her she nodded so she had been looking for a job. But why if she was moving it still made no sense.

"Do you have the application? Can I look at it?" I asked her letting my charm seep through a little. See what Morelli didn't know is that you didn't say cheesy lines you talked normal but it was how you said it, it was the way you looked at them, the way you smiled, your eyes that was how you turned on the charm and got what you wanted not by delivering bad lines from the seventy or eighties. That wasn't cool.

"I threw it away as soon as she walked out of the store. We wouldn't hire her. She walks into a clothing store to apply for a job wearing a suit that is ready to fall off her the only reason the skirt was staying on was the belt that she had cinched up around her waist. That isn't what we want our customers seeing when they walk in here." She said and I could hear the 'better than you' attitude that I am beyond certain that the girl expressed to Stephanie and I instantly felt myself bristle at her seemingly harmless comment that wasn't really harmless.

"thanks" I told her letting my blank face fall into place I was done with this one I didn't need any more information she had been useful for all she was good for and I had no desire to fuck her as I could see her inner bitch, and it was ugly.

I turned and walked out the store the girl tried to catch up to me but I never let her and I never let her know that I knew she was trying to catch me I just never broke stride as I let the door close behind me.

I made my way to the next business she had circled they had seen her but they too had thrown the application away stating that she wasn't right for their business. I suspect it was something about her looks or the way she was dressed with them as well. I chalked it up to them being assholes and moved on. No one had spoken to her though.

I made my way into the doctor's office and the receptionist an older woman remembered her and had her application which she let me look at after a little begging. She had listed her current address as her address. She had listed her work history and her education. She had only listed Mary Lou as a reference and no one else. Did this girl not have other friends, coworkers, or family she was willing to give as a reference? Did she suck at her job that much that she didn't want to give references?

"Did she say anything, did you talk to her?" I asked the receptionist and she shook her head no. I nodded handing them back her application and made my way out of the office.

The last place I walked in was an accountant office walking up to the receptionist at the desk I showed her the picture. She remembered her. "Did you talk to her?" I asked her and she shook her head no but added.

"No, but Mr. Saunders did he took her back to his office and they talked for a few minutes before she left. Something must have happened though because she left pretty fast almost as if she was in a rush." She said and I briefly wondered if it was what caused her to be distracted as everyone who witnessed the wreck had said. Maybe something was beginning to add up.

"Can I talk to Mr. Saunders" I asked and the receptionist started clicking the buttons on the computer. I assumed pulling up his schedule.

"Yes, he is available." She said picking up the phone pressing some buttons until she had who I assumed was Mr. Saunders on the phone agreeing to see me. She pointed me back to his office. I made my way back to his office.

I had just walked through the door and one look at the guy I had decided I didn't like him. He seemed off, creepy, and there was an eek factor about him but I couldn't really place it. I pulled out the picture showing it to him. "Have you seen her today?" I asked him and he paused looking at me as if he was trying to summing me up.

"Why do you ask?" He asked me his voice smug. I knew what needed to happen. I needed to change my face. I turned on the don't fuck with me face. That would get what I needed from him because looking at him you could see his yellow streak from space he was a scared chicken shit.

"I asked the questions you answer them." I told him he swallowed hard.

"She was looking for a job and I spoke to her about the job we have available here. However, after our talk I think we both decided that she wasn't a good fit for the company so she left." He said and I could tell there was more to the story that he wasn't telling me.

If she was in fact looking for a job with a total of six dollars and ninety cents in her bank account I don't think she would have decided this job wasn't a good fit for her. In fact I bet she was desperate for a job and would have been willing to do just about anything for the money.

It was that thought that got me thinking and I didn't like where this was going or how this was adding up. "What made her think this wasn't a good fit. What was the job description that you went over with her?" I asked him. There was something about him and this situation I did not like. This fucker was a weirdo. I could tell my sensor was going off.

"Well I explained that this position was my assistant and that she would need to make herself available to me whenever I needed. She also needed to do whatever it was I asked her to do." He said and the way he made that sound it sounded like he was trying to hire a slave rather than an assistant and the hairs on the back of my neck bristled. Fuck.

Something in his comments I didn't like it was controlling, it was enslavement, but there was an underlying motive that he wasn't elaborating on that made the eek factor even worse.

"You didn't come on to her and try to force her to do something that was outside of what an assistant job responsibilities are did you?" I found myself asking him in a deep voice one that promised retribution if he had. He started shaking his head no so fast that I thought it was going to take flight. Only it would never get his fat ass off the ground.

Somehow in just his movement of his head I knew he was lying. "No I would never expect, ask or imply that from anyone working for me." He said a little fast. He was definitely lying; fucker.

"I hope when I talk to her I get the same story from her because I know you are lying to me." I told him not mixing any words with him and my voice was serious enough that he knew I wasn't lying to him. He swallowed hard nodding his head.

"I am telling you the truth." He squeaked; fitting for the fucking pig he was. Had he done what I thought he had he would be squeaking some more and if Ranger found out well you may as well put an apple in his fucking mouth and bury him in the luau pit because his pig ass would be roasted.

I didn't dignify what he said with a reply. I turned and made my way out of his office with only a single look back. I had to smile when I saw the front of his pants wet. I was only glad I had walked away that fucker piss on me and he wouldn't draw in another breath; ever. I leered at him as I let the door slam behind me.

Making my way to my SUV I had just enough time to get to Mary Lou's before dinner time.

**Let me know what you think….Leave a review!**


	13. Chapter 13:Could it Get Worse

**Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! For those that have Private messages turned off that left Reviews thank you for the reviews! I love reading every one of them so keep them coming.**

**I want to Thank Margaret Fowler for encouraging this story out of me. When I mentioned it to you 6 – 7 months ago you didn't let it die in my head. You kept pressing for it so here it is finally being written! I hope it is everything you thought it would be.**

**Standard Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine. They belong to JE I just take them out of the box and play with them a little. I have begged to keep Ranger and Lester for myself but I have yet to get a response… **

**So for now I am going to keep doing daily updates, that may change though as my schedule is crazy busy right now…but I am hoping if I can stay ahead I will be able to continue the daily updates.  
**

**Chapter 13: **

**LPOV: Could It Get Worse?**

I pulled up looking at the house it was a little row house like house typical of this side of town. You know the type where all of them on the street sort of look the same. There were flowers in the front of the house, kids outdoor toys scattered on the lawn, the mailbox was painted with flowers with their last name written on the side along with a flag about a quarter of the size of most flags hanging just in front of it.

It was one of those houses where everything on the outside looked just perfect. I couldn't help but wonder what freaking dark secrets were held within the walls because nothing was freaking perfect and when people tried this hard they were definitely covering something. The question was what.

I parked the SUV on the street and walked up the concrete sidewalk that had chalk drawings all over it. This was like walking into suburbia hell. I knocked on the door and I heard little feet scrambling to the door. I heard their mother calling them or at least a woman's voice that I assumed was their mother. The background check didn't say anything about them having a nanny or any other woman living here.

She had three boys. The door opened and a woman stood before me. I forced a smile on my face to make my appearance friendly. "Hi Mrs. Stankovic, my name is Lester Santos and I am with Rangeman Security company." I quickly introduced myself. She had yet to open the screen door and I hadn't attempted it. I didn't want her to be afraid of me or have reason to fear me.

I knew she was home alone with her kids and I didn't want to seem like a threat to her. I meant her no harm and I wanted her to know that. She nodded. I could see it in her face she was questioning why I was standing on her doorstep introducing myself.

"Mrs Stankovic I was hoping we could talk I have some questions concerning Stephanie Plum." I told her. I had to pause to school myself to say her name. I didn't want to know her well enough to know her name. My intention was to get the information requested. Report on it and fucking forget about it. I had no intention of retaining it or memorizing it. The less connected I was the better off I was.

I had already felt sorry for her again today and I needed to remember what she had done and not allow myself to forget why I was doing this in the first place. So she had a sad story she wasn't the only American with a sad story.

I saw her mouth open slightly when I mentioned Stephanie's name. I saw fear in her eyes as she swallowed and I could see her reading herself for something but I wasn't sure what. When she began to speak I could hear the shakiness of her voice and I wasn't sure if her voice was always that way or if it was because of the fear. My guess was the fear but why it was there I wasn't certain. "What about Stephanie? Is she okay?" She asked and I could tell she really didn't want to ask that question because she feared the answer but she couldn't bring herself not to ask it.

I didn't want to lie to her but I also didn't want to tell her the truth yet. Depending on what she told me I would possibly tell her more but for now I wasn't giving away any information. I looked down at her three boys staring up at me all smiling. I couldn't help but smile back at them. I could remember as a little boy when someone like me would come around I was enthralled with watching them. I wanted to be a soldier even when I was their age.

"Mrs. .." I started to say when she interrupted me.

"Please call me Mary Lou." She said. And I nodded.

"Mary Lou, can we talk privately for a minute?" I asked her and she nodded. She closed the front door for a few minutes. I was actually glad that she didn't trust me. She didn't know me, she didn't know my intentions, and she was protecting her family. I could respect that.

She returned a couple of minutes and opened the door without the three kids pressing themselves up against the storm door. I wasn't sure what she had done with them but I guess being the mother she had her secret ways of getting them to entertain themselves safely while we talked on the porch.

She opened the door and stepped out on the porch standing between me and the door. Once again I could respect that. "Mary Lou I have some questions I need to ask you about Stephanie." I told her once again and she nodded.

"I haven't seen her for a few months so I don't know if I can help you but ask them and I will try." She said.

"Stephanie as far as I know is fine, like I said I work at Rangeman and we are looking into her history." I said hoping that one she would relax a little and two hoping she would think we were doing background check for employment. I wasn't going to say it but if she assumed it I wasn't going to correct it either.

"I talked with Stephanie's neighbor today and her neighbor was under the impression that she was going to move across country. Has she said anything to you about these plans?" I asked her. I wasn't sure I really wanted to start here but this was the question that was annoying me the most.

She shook her head no. "Stephanie hasn't said anything to me about moving across country. Her sister Val lives in California and unless things have changed drastically I can't see her as wanting to move where she would be closer to her. They didn't have the best relationship growing up." She said. I would come back to that.

"So she said nothing to you about moving?" She shook her head no.

"No but she hasn't been by in a couple of months. So I guess something could have changed. I know she hasn't had it easy since she lost her job at E.E. Martin. The last I talked to her she was trying to find a job but hadn't had any luck." She told me.

I nodded. "You said you haven't seen her in a couple of months, when was the last time you talked to her?" I asked her. She shrugged her shoulders

"I spoke with her on the phone about month or so ago but I haven't heard from her since then." She confessed and I could see from her eyes she wasn't too pleased with herself for having to admit to that.

"Stephanie's parents live around here but I notice she listed you as her emergency contact. May I ask why?" I asked her unable to keep myself from asking the question. She nodded.

"Her and her parents don't always see eye to eye so she listed me as her emergency contact instead of her parents. Stephanie and her father have a pretty good relationship but, her and her mother don't always agree on what is best for Stephanie." She told me. I wasn't sure what she meant by that but I could certainly understand not getting along with your parents.

Parents could sometimes be a pain in the ass.

" Should I stop by and ask them questions about her or not? Do you think she would have told them about moving across country? Would she have possibly talked to them lately?" I questioned and Mary Lou shook her head no.

"If she was thinking of moving across country she would have told me before anyone else. She would never move without telling me. We have been best friends since grade school."

I could see in her eyes that she was telling me the truth. "Sit down?" I asked motioning to the chairs on the porch and she nodded. I moved to the chair on the end allowing her to take the one by the door. "Mary Lou I am trying to talk to friends of Stephanie did she have many friends? Who were her closest friends?" I asked her. She shook her head.

"Stephanie doesn't have many friends. I mean a lot of people know her and she knows a lot of people because she grew up in the burg everyone loved to talk about Stephanie. Everyone in the burg still loves to talk about her but they just don't have a whole lot to say lately. But close friends like you are asking she doesn't really have any other than me. Because she is always talked about and gossiped about she is extremely private." She said

"Gossiped about what do you mean?" I asked her she looked at me as if she was sizing me up. I smiled at her hoping it would be what she was looking for to loosen up her tongue a little more.

"Why are you so interested and where is Stephanie? Is she okay, is she safe?" She asked and I thought that was something odd for her to ask me.

"Why would you ask if she is okay and safe?" I asked her and she shrugged.

"She has been acting strange lately. Normally she comes by at least once a week maybe more to visit, talk, if nothing more than to just complain about her mother, or someone gossiping, or how she was doing in her search for a job but the last two months nothing. I haven't seen her. I wouldn't even have talked to her on the phone if I hadn't called her. I should have made it a point to call her more often but I have been dealing with my kids. In the past two month I have dealt with stomach flu, and a virus that ran through my boys and husband. I guess I just lost track of time until you asked me and I had to think about how long it had actually been." She said and I could see the look of guilt in her eyes.

I nodded life happened, I got it.

"Mary Lou, you mentioned gossiping again was she really talked about that much?" I asked her hoping she would forget about her prior question that I had yet to answer. She looked at me again and finally smiled as she started to talk.

"Stephanie has been talked about since she was a little girl. It all started when she was six and Joe Morelli asked her to go into his garage to play some stupid game. It then continued when she was eight and decided that she could fly and jumped off of the roof. It seemed that nothing ever went the way you expected where Stephanie was involved. The burg is rich in tradition and the people from the burg believe that women should be stay at home moms, take care of their home, cook the meals, take care of their husbands while the husband works and provides for the family. Stephanie somehow never fit into that mold. She never cooked, couldn't, somehow even attempting to boil water could end in catastrophe. Little girls in the burg always took dance class and Stephanie was born with two left feet. It always caused friction between Stephanie and her mother. Her mother was for the most part ashamed of her. She was always telling Stephanie what a disappointment and embarrassment she was even as a little girl. The older she got the worse it got because it went from she couldn't do this or that to she didn't have a boyfriend or husband. The way her mother makes it sound you would think is one of the cardinal sins. In fact I would say in her mother's eyes it is worse than a cardinal sin. She would never let Stephanie how she wasn't getting any younger and that she needed a boyfriend so she could get a husband and have kids. I swear it was all her mother knew to talk about."

She said and I couldn't believe my ears. Her mother was ashamed of her; holy shit. How fucked up did a person have to be to have their mother ashamed and embarrassed by them?

Mary Lou continued "it was one thing after another something to make fun of Stephanie, or embarrass her mother because of something Stephanie did, didn't do, or couldn't do. It didn't make the situation any better that her sister, Valerie, was always the perfect one the one she was always being compared to." She said.

Fuck this woman's story just went from bad to fucking worse. If I were her I would have moved across country and not told one of these mother fuckers where I was going. I would have left them with a big Flying Fuck you and never looked back.

"Things got better for a little while in her early teenage years until the tasty pastry incident when she was sixteen. Joe Morelli walked in the tasty pastry one night when she was working alone at closing time had sex with her on the floor and proceeded to write about it in all of the boy bathrooms around town. I always thought there was something she never told about that situation but no matter how many times I asked she would never tell me. Just as her friend I knew her well enough to know she didn't want to lose her virginity on the floor of the tasty pastry but Stephanie would never confirm or deny any of my suspicions." She told me and I found my hands clinched in tight fists. It didn't take a rocket scientist to guess where Mary Lou was going with her suspicions.

"What happened after that?" I found myself asking her having to school my voice to keep the anger that was swelling up in me from showing. I needed to remind myself not to get involved to stay out of this woman's life. I needed to remind myself why I was here, what she had done.

"Well her parents were at odds. Her mother wanted to marry them and her father wanted to kill him. Personally I was all for killing him. However, the next day he shipped out. He had signed with the Navy so he was gone leaving Stephanie to deal with all the fall out. When her mother found out there would be no marriage she grounded Stephanie for the summer once again stating her embarrassment and disappointment in Stephanie's behavior." She told me and I found myself glad I hadn't gone by her parent's house.

I may not like having to do this but I had no beef against the woman and when I saw a woman being mistreated it pissed me off, I wasn't a heartless bastard, just a bastard. I knew my issue with women but that didn't mean I would stand by and let one be mistreated. I just needed to remind myself to not get involved.

"What else?" I asked her and she looked at me again.

"Well she graduated high school and then went to Rutgers University where she graduated with a degree in business. Her mother was so disappointed. She was all set to marry her off when she decided she wanted to go to college. She had applied behind her mother's back and was accepted. She found a way to pay for it all on her own. I think her Dad and her Grandparents helped her some but she never confirmed that." She told me. I nodded.

"Her mother had planned on marrying her to Dickie Orr, he is now an attorney. Complete slime who never knew how to keep it in his pants. He still doesn't. Her mom was so desperate to marry her off and she was blind by the fact that he was becoming a lawyer she didn't care. She didn't care if Stephanie was going to be happy or be loved all she cared about was that she would be married and have kids, and would have a husband that could provide for her. I never understood her mother's motivation but Stephanie would just defend her saying that she tried to do what she thought was best." She just shook her head.

"What did she do upon graduating?" I asked her. She smiled briefly but then the smiled faded and I couldn't help but think what else could fucking happen to this girl?

"Well she graduated with a job, buyer for E.E. Martin. She was making good money. For the first time I thought she was actually going to be happy. That things were finally working out for her but that ended when the business was closed. That was six months ago." I nodded so she had brought me full circle.

"So do you know any other friends maybe a college friend that she stayed in touch with or friends she had at EE Martin?" I asked her and she shrugged.

"We were best friends and I feel like if she had another friend that she spoke to regularly or hung out with she would have told me but I don't know of any. She never mentioned any. I know she had friends when she was in college but I don't know their names. It's been too many years for me to remember now. I don't think she really kept in touch and I know she didn't go to her five year reunion. She said she didn't really have anyone to visit." She told me.

Mary Lou spoke up again "I think Stephanie had learned to guard herself, and not become close friends with people because she never knew who was going to gossip about her so she never really formed true relationships with people. She is friendly, talkative even but if you listen to what she actually says she never tells anything personal to anyone. If she was moving across country I would have been surprised she would have even told her neighbors. I bet if you ask her neighbors more you will find they barely know her and she has lived there for almost five years." She told me and I could believe that. The neighbor practically admitted to not knowing her.

She looked at me "I don't know how well you know Stephanie or if you know her at all but I will tell you she is an honest, loyal, and wonderful person with a pure heart of gold when you get to know her. If something is going on with her please help her. She deserves to have someone in her corner for once in her life." Mary Lou said and I could see her eyes had filled with tears.

I nodded I wasn't even sure why. Listening to Mary Lou talk about Stephanie made me once again feel sorry for her; her life was pure shit. "Mary Lou, I want to tell you that Stephanie is safe, and she will be okay. She was involved in a car accident earlier today. She is in the hospital. I don't know the extent of all of her injuries but I do know that she is being cared for by the best." I told her and she gasped as she heard the words and her tears sprung forward and rolled down her cheeks.

"Do you need me to go to the hospital?" She asked and I shook my head no.

"No actually I would like to ask that you don't come. If something changes we will call you I promise. I also will ask Stephanie to call you when she wakes up. She was unconscious the last time I saw her. She has some health issues going on in addition to the accident." I told her but I didn't divulge anymore about them that was her story to tell not mine.

"She is under an assumed name so you won't be able to call the hospital and ask for her. After hearing what you said about her I think it is best that we continue with that and allow her some privacy. Rangeman has a special team at the hospital and I can assure you they won't be adding anything to the Stephanie gossip train." I told her what I left out was if they did that Ranger would kill them.

He was going to shit when I told him everything I found out today as it was he wouldn't need anything else to further piss him off.

I knew he wasn't going to like the things I had to tell him but I also knew that I needed to tell him. He needed to know. Ranger needed to know especially with Morelli, that fucker, asking around the hospital for her. My hands clinched again when I thought about that slimy mother fucker but I forced myself to calm and unclench my fist to keep from scaring Mary Lou.

"Mary Lou, I will let you get back to your kids. Thank you for the information." I told her and she nodded but she continued to sit there not moving.

"Lester, can I ask you something?" She asked me and I nodded. "Stephanie is my best friend, please watch over her." She said and I nodded unable to answer in the way I really wanted deep down inside but looking into her eyes I couldn't say no. I couldn't tell her that I wanted to mind my own business and let Stephanie mind hers. So instead I nodded. Great just fucking great I had to complicate the situation even more. Fuck.

Mary Lou stood up and walked back over to the door. I stood up and walk over to the few little steps that lead up to the porch. Turning towards her I said "Thank you for your time. What you told us will help us look out for her." I told her and she nodded.

Just before she turned and walked back inside I heard a whispered "lord knows she needs someone looking out for her for once in her life." I don't think she meant for me to hear that but I did.

I made my way back to my SUV. I didn't get the main question answered was this woman moving or not? Part of me wanted to say she wasn't but then talking to her neighbor and Mary Lou she had absolutely no reason for staying. What held her here? A bitch for a mother, a best friend who doesn't talk to her in over a month, penniless, jobless, soon to be homeless it was only matter of a month or two before she would be kicked out. Gossiped about to the point that I am sure she felt like her life was lived under a microscope. Why the fuck wouldn't she move across country?

Yet I had proved she was in fact looking for employment and not the kind of employment that you could work from home or across country and still do the job. None of it made sense. None of it added up what the fuck kept her here in this god forsaken town that had nothing good to offer her but misery.

All of these thoughts were bouncing around in my head. I hadn't changed my mind I still wanted nothing to do with the woman but after talking to Mary Lou and seeing her life before me I couldn't help but feel sorry for her. She had a fucked up life. Now I understood why she looked so thin she had no one she could turn to and ask for help. It made sense why she hadn't been around Mary Lou.

But what didn't make sense to me was why Mary Lou hadn't reached out to her more. I understand busy lives but don't girlfriends usually make it a point of talking more than once a month? I was shelving that thought because Mary Lou seemed nice enough and genuine on some level and I think she thought I would help Stephanie so she probably told me more than was ever intended.

There were things that still didn't add up and I suspected we would never know until the woman woke up and was able to talk to us. Fuck.

I knew I couldn't keep any of this from Ranger for many different reasons but if he was protective of her now when he heard this shit he would be even more protective. I needed to find a way to get him to wash his hands of this. I needed to get him to walk away from her and let her go back to her miserable life and allow us to go back to ours.

At this point I wasn't sure whose lives were more fucked up hers, or ours we all seemed to have our demons that we fought some were just more domestic than others but it was all bullshit that managed to control and fuck up our lives to the point that it stripped us of who we were and made us something we didn't want to be but we all managed to live in spite of it.

She didn't need the shit that we would bring to her lives anymore than we needed the shit she would bring to ours.

I just had to figure out how I was going to make Ranger see it. How was I going to make him see that he needed to walk away? We all needed to walk away.

I knew I should be heading to the hospital to report to Ranger but I needed to work my frustration out so I headed to Rangeman. I needed to beat on the bag for a little bit as I wrapped my head around a plan to get Ranger to drop this shit and go back to life as we knew it.

**Let me know what you think….Please leave a review!**


	14. Chapter 14: A Day of Sighs

**Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! For those that have Private messages turned off that left Reviews thank you for the reviews! I love reading every one of them so keep them coming.**

**I want to Thank Margaret Fowler for encouraging this story out of me. When I mentioned it to you 6 – 7 months ago you didn't let it die in my head. You kept pressing for it so here it is finally being written! I hope it is everything you thought it would be.**

**Standard Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine. They belong to JE I just take them out of the box and play with them a little. I have begged to keep Ranger and Lester for myself but I have yet to get a response… **

**So for now I am going to keep doing daily updates, that may change though as my schedule is crazy busy right now…but I am hoping if I can stay ahead I will be able to continue the daily updates.**

**Chapter 14: A Day for Sighs**

**RPOV**

I sat in the hospital room and watched her. She was laying there her eyes closed and I found myself willing them to open. She had a cast on her arm, one on her leg, a brace over her chest. The doctors had done all they could do for her. Now it was just wait until she woke up. Waiting, something I was never good at.

The room was finally quiet from all activity. The monitors were beeping the way they should to say she was alive and stable and I found myself welcoming that sound. I found it somewhat calming despite the annoyance of constant beeps and roaring of the various devices.

I found myself anxious for Lester to return with more information on her. Looking at her and thinking about what he had told me I at least understood why it looked like she was starving, because she was. Not because of bulimia, anorexia, or drugs but because she couldn't afford food. I had found the two crackers in her jacket pocket and Lester had found the box in her cabinet. All the food she had in her house. She was living off of crackers.

It was worse than that because if what I found was any indication of anything she was only allotting herself two crackers a meal. I hadn't known many American's starving but I wasn't naïve enough to think that it didn't happen here. There were plenty of homeless people in the country and while I know there are resources out there I also know there are those that don't use them. Be it too proud, too paranoid, or too fearful. They all had their reasons. All of which were valid to them.

I briefly wondered how she had made it as long as she did. Lester said her parents lived in Trenton did she not ask them for help? Why wouldn't she? Who would decide to starve over asking their parents for help?

The more I thought about her the more anxious I was for Lester to get back with the information I requested. I was growing more impatient by the minute as thoughts and questions kept rolling through my mind.

I wanted to know, I needed to know. I needed to figure out how to help her so I could walk away from her. I knew why I was drawn to her. She looked like the woman whose life I took the one I couldn't help. Now I had a chance, I had the ability to help her. I wasn't fucked up enough to think the woman lying before me was the same woman but it was sort of like by me helping this woman I was in some way helping the woman's who life I took. Or maybe it was more a redeeming thing I was redeeming my blackened soul in some small way.

It didn't undo anything, it didn't absolve my soul of that sin, it didn't fix anything and I wasn't dumb enough to think that God would overlook my past by helping this one. But there was something inside of me that refused to walk away from this woman until I had helped her.

I pulled out my phone. I sent Tank a text 'take care of the bills'. He will know what I am talking about. I want him to pay her bills, get her electric back on, get her caught up on her bills. Even if I wasn't allowed to do anymore she would at least be debt free.

I couldn't help myself from reaching out and pushing the hair off of her face. Running the back side of my finger down her jaw she was beautiful. But that wasn't what drew me to her. I ran my finger through her hair the curls engulfing my fingers.

I pulled up a chair and sat down beside her bed reaching for her right hand. I just held it in mine, my hand engulfing her small hand. I leaned forward placing my forehead on the mattress of the bed. I was exhausted now that the activity was down I could take a moment and rest so I allowed my mind to calm and my eyes to close.

It's hot; I can feel the sweet rolling down my back. The stifling heat from the jungle floor makes breathing somewhere between gasping for air and choking on the moisture in the air. The bastard I was after Miguel Hernandez was a trafficker of women and girls. The girls were where the money was but he sold whatever and whoever he could; age didn't matter to him. If he had a customer he would sell his grandmother.

I was lying on my stomach in a thick of brush; well hidden. A river was between him and me; his men and me. I had been waiting for days for this opportunity. I turned the knob on the top of my sniper rifling allocating for the wind and distance. It was only the matter of waiting until he was where I needed him to be to take the kill shot.

Looking through the scope I controlled my breathing I could feel myself counting my breaths getting ready for the hold. Controlling my breath would control my heart beats I would pull the trigger between heart beats, with my breath stilled. I wasn't going to take a chance of missing my target and alerting his guards to my location.

I had a small window once he was in the zone or he would make it to the helicopter and my opportunity to take him down would be lost until we were once again able to hunt him down. He was a wealthy man in a poor town, hell poor country, that money could buy him all kind of privileges including access to underground tunnels and escape routes that we were smart enough to know existed but not smart enough to know where they began, or where they ended. My personal opinion they ended in another country.

I watched Miguel step closer and closer to the point I had dialed into my target. I watched as he neared the cross hairs I pulled the trigger giving him the lead I needed so he would walk right into the bullet. The crack of my rifle rang out but I didn't budge I just kept my eye on my target until I saw the bullet pierce his heart the shock on his face made me smile. One shot, one kill a snipers motto, and today I had done them proud. They always thought they were untouchable. I was proof they weren't the 'Ghost of Death' they called me.

I watched as his men spread across the land and started firing up to the bank. Dumbasses like they would be able to hit me with the weapons they were stupidly and blindly firing. I stood up and started running toward the second part of my mission leveling the building used to house the girls. I wanted to plant the c4 and be on my way to my rendezvous point before his men thought about checking on the facility.

I walked through the facility setting charges to bring the building down. Making it to the fourth floor I found the women. Walking into the room I was met with a set of blue eyes that had me jumping to my feet; gasping for air.

My eyes scanning the room as the door bolted open and my gun met whoever it was entering. My mind was trying to catch up to where I was not where I had been. It was clear I wasn't in the jungle, I wasn't in a building standing in a room filled with women. I wasn't staring into a set of startling crystal blue eyes. I sucked air in through my mouth and nose trying to gain control of the situation.

My gun held steady on the intruder. My eyes trying to focus on something other than those blue eyes I blinked and bobby's face swam into my vision. I was holding my gun in my right hand, Stephanie's hand was still in my left and my body was between her and Bobby. I lowered my weapon.

"Man that's not smart." I warned him "I could have killed you." I told him and he nodded, like one of those big head bobbles, understanding fully the danger in what he had just done. I had been sleeping, dreaming. Of course he didn't know that but startling me isn't something that would be considered good for anyone's health or add to the longevity of one's life.

I turned around sitting back down. I lowered my head back down to the mattress. I didn't want to really think about it but I had yet to let go of Stephanie's hand. I knew it wasn't lost on Bobby as I caught him watching me but I didn't give a fuck. I had no intention of giving him any answers. I had no intentions of sharing shit with him. He was here to watch her. He didn't need further distractions. He was distracted enough in trying to figure out the questions in his own mind, he didn't need more.

"How is she?" I asked him and he shrugged.

"The Rape kit came back negative. There were no fluids, no spermicidal residue, no tearing or bruising of the vaginal or rectal tissues. All of that indicates that she wasn't raped." I was relieved to hear that. I was still pissed about the bruising and was curious when, who, and how they got were on her body but I was relieved she hadn't been raped. She had enough fucked up in her life she didn't that.

No woman needed that regardless of how their life was going but this would have just added more to an already impossible situation that she was already in. I could help her by paying her overdue bills, I could protect her if someone was trying to harm her, and I could possibly give her a job provided she would be interested but I couldn't help her with what she had already done to her health.

"When will she wake up?" I caught myself asking before I could control my questions.

"I don't know that is out of my hands. She will wake up at least there is nothing wrong with her that she shouldn't wake up from but it is one of those things that I can't tell you when. It could be a few hours, a few days, or weeks." He said. I didn't want to accept that but I knew he couldn't really do better than that. It was a wait see the only problem with that was I wasn't a wait and see kind of guy. I was a guy of action.

I sighed I think it had been a day of sighs. Sighs of frustration, sighs of relief, and sighs in attempt of calming myself. Anyone would know that isn't something I normally do. However, today it seemed as though it was all I was doing.

I realized I had yet to let go of her hand and I dropped it like someone would something that burned them. I ran my hand down my pants leg trying to get my actions and my damn head back on straight. This was like a day in the twilight zone. I wasn't capable of these feelings yet I was feeling them. I wasn't one to worry over someone yet I was worrying. I wasn't one to pace like a fucking pussy yet I had passed this floor enough to wonder if I had worn a pattern into the hard tiled floor. I sure as didn't sit beside women in hospital beds holding their hand but yet that was exactly what I had been doing up until moments ago.

"I will be right back." I told Bobby and he nodded. I knew he wouldn't leave the room until I got back but I needed to clear my head. I needed to add some distance.

I opened the door and made my way out of the room in search of Tank. I walked into the lobby and he met me. "Go back to Rangeman. You don't need to sit in the lobby anymore. The least of a presence we have here the better if Morelli is nosing around. We don't want them to find her here." I told him and he nodded.

"I don't know why she needed my help until I determine it wasn't because a threat I won't risk someone finding her." I told him and he once again nodded. I saw a slight smile on his face and I wanted to ask him what he thought was so fucking funny because from where I was standing there was nothing fucking funny about today. I could have killed someone, I totaled my Porsche, and now I was acting like someone had given me some fucking estrogen in my energy drink.

I would sort his ass back out on the fucking mats when I made it to Rangeman he wouldn't think it was funny for long. "Bobby and I are offline until you have heard differently." I told him and he once again nodded. Normally he was quiet but this was more than that.

"What's your fucking problem, Tank? You got something you want to say to me?" I asked him allowing the frustration I had been feeling to seep into my voice. He shook his head; No.

"Man I don't have anything to say, I haven't heard anything new from the guys. I am just going to do what you say on this one. I have the guys working on her bills I should have something when I get back to the office. You just want me to pay them?" He asked me and I nodded.

"I want you to send Ella over here. I want her to wash her. Wash the blood off of her. Tell Ella to bring her something to sleep in she has a cast on her lower left leg and left arm. Lester brought her clothing but none of it will work. I think she will want more than a t-shirt especially with us in the room. I don't want her waking up to blood covering her body and naked. She will be scared enough. I need to help her not scare the fuck out of her." I told him I knew I was rambling a little but I couldn't seem to just spit it out another anomaly. He nodded again I saw a flash of a smile and I wanted to wipe it off of his face but I tried to forget about it as I was in the lobby of the hospital. I would have my chance at Rangeman on the mats. He will fucking regret it.

"I will let Ella know. You want her coming tonight or tomorrow." He asked me. I hated to say tonight but she could wake up anytime. I was hoping for sooner rather than later.

"Ask her if she can come tonight if not, then she can come tomorrow. If she wakes up before then we will do the best we can." I told him. I wasn't really happy but Ella worked hard, she had long hours by her choice as she cared for every man in the building as if they were her son; including me. She was my aunt.

She took the job by choice not because I had asked her but when she asked me I agreed. She had never had kids of her own and she had been like a second mother to Lester and I so we couldn't refuse anything she would ask of us.

The bad side was that she kept tabs on us and when she thought our mother's needed to know something she would tell on us. This was something that she would definitely be telling on us. She was the one person that I hadn't been able to pay enough to keep it from happening. When I asked her to not to do it she just patted my cheeks like she did when I was twelve and told me I had no powers there. I took it to mean she wasn't going to listen to me or follow my orders regardless of the threat or the bribe. It was the first and last time I tried to give her orders or a bribe.

Besides, no one at Rangeman wanted to risk pissing her off including myself. I would rather face down a firing squad than piss her off.

He nodded "Call me if you learn anything new. Keep our presence here low but keep two men on her door. Work up a schedule for a week I am not sure how long she will be here but do weekly schedules for now. Let me know when those bills are cleared." I told him and he nodded.

I turned making my way back to the room. I was going to check on her and then grab something to eat.

Ram and Vince were still at the door. "Tank will be sending your replacements. Anyone come or go?" I asked them and they shook their head. I nodded. "I am going to grab something to eat. When I get back you can cycle through breaks again." I told them and they nodded.

I made my way to the cafeteria and I tried my best not to scare the people in the hallway. In the cafeteria I was at least happy to find a salad bar. I went about fixing a large salad, grabbed a bottle of water and made my way to the checkout.

I was back to the room in the matter of a few minutes. Walking in I found Bobby sitting in the chair beside her bed. I knew there was nothing but part of me didn't want to see him sitting that close to her at least he wasn't holding her hand; I would have had a problem with that.

I shook my head I wasn't a man to be jealous of another man. Fuck that. I didn't care enough about women to care about them being with another man. Fuck. I had even been known to share a woman in my younger wilder days.

I was tired, I was hungry, and I was convinced I was fucking losing it. Not that I was willing to share that with anyone else.

I made it into the room Bobby had evacuated the chair for me. I walked over and sat my salad on the rolling table. I moved it closer to the chair sitting my bottle on the table I took a seat stretching my neck as I reached for the salad and a fork.

Bobby walked out of the room. I wasn't sure where he was going but I knew he wasn't leaving the hospital. Maybe he would come back with more information.

**EllaPOV**

I had just finish putting dinner out for the guys. I had heard the rumblings of the guys all day gossiping about Ranger being involved in a car wreck and being at the hospital with the woman that he hit.

Tank had been out of the office all day. I was just making my way back out of the break room when Tank stepped out of the stairwell.

"Ella got a second?" He asked and I smiled and nodded at him. He motioned to his office so I met him at his office.

Walking into his office he shut the door. He ran his hand over his face and I could tell by that action he was going to ask me something that he didn't really want to have to ask me. I allowed him to work it out.

"Ella, Ranger asked me to ask you to go to the hospital. Ranger was involved in a car accident this morning he hit a woman's car, Stephanie Plum's car, today when she ran a red light and ran right in front of him. She was hurt broke her left leg, her left arm, her rib which damaged her lung and she had to have surgery. She hit her head and has been unconscious since she got there." He told me. My heart was breaking for the poor girl.

"It gets worse. She is almost starved. Lester found out that she has been out of work for six months her cable, her electric, and her cell phone has all been disconnected. Her car is now totaled, and she has been living off of saltine crackers for far too long." He told me and my heart further broke.

"There is more. I don't even know how to explain this. I don't even know how to prepare you for this one." He said running his hands over his face and head. I once again just waited until he found the words he wanted.

"Ranger is… different. I don't know why, the mission or the girl or both. But he is protective over her to the point that he is willing to hurt one of his brothers to protect her. He is somehow attached to her and he doesn't want to leave her. He is actually worried about her and I have never seen him worried about anyone outside of his family." He told me. My heart swelled a little hearing Tank say that. Ranger needed a woman. For him to be worried about a woman there had to be something special about that woman.

"Tank, may I ask why are you telling me this?" I asked him trying to understand exactly why he was telling me all of this.

"Ranger asked me to ask if you would mind going to the hospital. He asked that you pick her out something for sleeping in. Santos picked up some clothing at her home but he said nothing was appropriate. She does have a cast on her arm and lower leg. He also would like for you to clean her up a little bit. According to him he doesn't want her waking up covered in blood and naked as she is now." He said and I couldn't agree more. The poor girl had been through enough she didn't need to wake up in a hospital room bloody and naked. I nodded agreeing.

"Okay, when does he want me to come?" I asked hoping sooner the better. Tank looked at me

"That's the thing, he doesn't know when she will wake up it could be tonight, tomorrow, or next week." He told me. I nodded.

"Well then I will go tonight." I said. Tank nodded but added

"Ella you don't need to go tonight you can go tomorrow if it is more convenient. I am sure you have had a long day already." He said and I just smiled.

"Tank all my days are long, it is by choice. You boys are like my sons. The sons I never had I love spoiling you. It is what I do. I don't want that poor girl waking up like that I will go tonight." I told him. He nodded.

"Well then wait for Binkie and Hank they have the guard shift tonight they will drive you and I will make sure Ram and Vince knows to wait for you." He told me and I nodded. I could have driven but they try to take care of me like I do them so when the occasion comes up that they can do something for me I usually let them. It was a small thing but one I enjoyed doing for them.

I made my way out of office. In search of some sleep wear that would work for her and her leg as well as her arm. I had some ideas and went up to my apartment on the sixth floor. I found a tank top I sat down at my sewing machine and open the shoulders on both sides sewing Velcro in the opening now you could open the shoulders slip it on and then hook the shoulder back that would keep from having to feed her arms through the holes.

I then went in search of some shorts for her. I found a pair of shorts that were slightly longer but the legs flared some so it wouldn't be a problem passing by the cast. I felt like they would work for her and be comfortable. The waist was elastic but it wasn't tight elastic. It stretched fairly easy.

I picked up a bottle of Bulgari smiling as I put it in the bag, along with some of my shampoo and conditioner. I then packed a comb, a brush, even a hair blow dryer. I left my apartment with the bags I had packed and made it up to the seventh floor. I then packed a bag for Ranger. Including his brush, toothbrush, razor, his uniforms, and hair ties for his hair I also decided to grab his laptop.

I packed the dinner I had placed in the refrigerator for him and added that to my pile to take to hospital. I would stop on the fourth floor and pack Bobby's things as well as some food for him from the break room.

I made my way to the garage with the help of Binkie and Hank and we made our way to the hospital. I couldn't help but think this girl was somehow going to change everything and I couldn't help the smile that it brought to my face; just the thought of it.

**Let me know what you think…Leave a review!**


	15. Chapter 15: A Long Night

**Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! For those that have Private messages turned off that left Reviews thank you for the reviews! I love reading every one of them so keep them coming.**

**I want to Thank Margaret Fowler for encouraging this story out of me. When I mentioned it to you 6 – 7 months ago you didn't let it die in my head. You kept pressing for it so here it is finally being written! I hope it is everything you thought it would be.**

**Standard Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine. They belong to JE I just take them out of the box and play with them a little. I have begged to keep Ranger and Lester for myself but I have yet to get a response… **

**So for now I am going to keep doing daily updates, that may change though as my schedule is crazy busy right now…but I am hoping if I can stay ahead I will be able to continue the daily updates.**

**Chapter 15: Long Night**

**EllaPOV**

Binkie, Hank and I got in one of the SUVs and made our way to the hospital. I wasn't going to share what Tank had told me. But I doubted they would ask.

It didn't take but a few minutes to get there and the guys were quiet the entire time. If they didn't want to be doing guard duty they certainly didn't voice it in the car in front of me.

We walked in and we walked straight back to the Rangeman room in the ER. We didn't need to ask, we didn't need special tags on our clothing for admittance. Ranger had made sure we had access to this room at all times without having to jump through red tape.

I kept playing over in my head what Tank said was wrong with the Stephanie. I kept thinking about how she would look. I wanted to be prepared for what I was going to see. It was rare that Ranger ever asked me for something outside of my normal duties. So whenever he would ask I always tried to do whatever it was he asked.

I would do that for any of my sons. I considered them all my sons. I loved them all and cared for them all just as if they were my children. I briefly thought about what it would be like to add a daughter to the mix. How wonderful it would be to have a daughter. Ranger and Lester both had sisters but they didn't live around here. They had all moved to various parts of the country when they got married and I only saw them a few times a year during holidays or for a funeral. I missed having a daughter to care for.

I gave Vince and Ram a pat on the arm when I reached them standing at their door and told them. "I am riding back with you, so please don't leave me. I will be a little bit but I have some food packed for you if you are hungry. I handed them the bag of food I had packed for them and hugged them. They both gave me a kiss on the cheek.

"We won't leave you. Take your time." Ram said and I nodded. I then knocked on the door and waited for Ranger to ask me to enter. I heard a gruff enter. I opened the door and stood on the outside of the door until I made eye contact with Ranger. I then proceeded into the room when I saw him smile. Tank had warned me that he was protective of her I didn't need to set off his protective nature. I didn't need to alert him.

I walked into the room and unloaded the bags I had packed on the rolling table. I first handed Ranger his bag of clothing. "Go clean yourself up." I told him. He looked at me hesitant at first and not wanting to really cooperate but he looked me in the eyes and nodded his head grabbing his bag. He walked over to the attached bathroom and shut the door. I then handed Bobby his bag.

"You eat something. When Ranger is done you go clean yourself up." I told him. If they didn't want her waking up scared then they needed to get cleaned up and free of her blood just as she needed to be free of her own blood. I picked up the basin I had brought with me and filled it with warm water and carried it back over to the table. I moved everything from the table except the things I would need to bath her with.

I started at her feet. Washing them and working my way up. I washed the blood off of her thighs. I couldn't help but noticing the bruising on her hips but I was glad to see there was no bruising on the inside of her thighs. Her little body had me upset seeing how starved she was. I don't think I was prepared for exactly how she would look. Tank had said starved but this was bone pulled over flesh. I just wanted to feed her.

I made note to tell Ranger to let me know when she woke up and I would bring her food. Hospital food wasn't good for her. She needed good healthy food, food that would put weight on her but also taste like it was worth eating not the crap they served here. Where everything tastes the same and it all tastes like crap. No one wants to eat that nasty stuff.

Once I had washed and dried her lower half I went in search of the bag that Lester had packed for her. I opened it and I found a couple of Rangeman t-shirts on top. I smiled that he would have thrown in a few of his t-shirts. I guess he thought she could sleep in them as they would engulf her. I dug down deeper and found the underwear he had packed for her.

When I pulled out several pairs of cotton thongs I had to shake my head; typical Lester. I noticed that while they were clean they were rather used. You could see the color was slightly faded from too much washing and I made note to do some shopping for her and buy her some underwear that will be more comfortable for her stay in the hospital. At least these didn't have the single string up the back these were slightly wider but only slightly.

I pulled the catheter tube from the container it dumps in. Holding it up I fished it through one leg of the underwear. I then fished them on one foot then the other and I one leg at time gently worked them up her body until I needed help. Ranger had come back in the room freshly showered changed and looking better than when I first walked in here. Bobby was now getting cleaned up.

"Ranger I need your help." I asked him and he walked over to me. "I need you to lift her hips but be careful not to jar her too much. I don't want you to hurt her. He nodded and gently raised her hips so I could work the underwear up on her hips to cover her private area. I then grabbed the shorts that I had packed and did the same thing. Once I had her dressed on the bottom I dumped the water and filled the basin with clean warm water.

I turned the sheet down from the top and began working on her top half being very careful of the brace and the cast on her arm. There wasn't a whole lot of skin to wash. I washed her face first, washing off the blood. I washed what little exposed skin she had. Looking at her I wasn't sure how we were going to move her not to hurt her. I was slightly glad she was unconscious for this because it was going to hurt to move her body the way we needed to.

Once I had her upper body washed and dried I grabbed the shirt I had packed. I opened the left shoulder. "Ranger I need your help again. I need for you to raise her and hold her there so I can get the shirt on her." He walked over to where we were and ever so gently raised her without jarring her supporting her back without pressing near her broken ribs I was able to get the shirt on her fastening Velcro at the shoulders.

Now on to the most difficult part washing her hair I wasn't prepared for all of her hair. It was beautiful but the curls just went on forever. I ran the brush through it but it caught on the dried blood and I knew the only way to keep the blood from staining the hair was to get it out of there as soon as possible.

I poured the water out of the basin once more and then filled it half full of warm water. I made my way back over to her bed. She was already lying flat so I placed the basin at her head.

"Ranger I need you to support her but you need to make sure you don't put any pressure on her rib so you will need to hold her low. I need her head held off of the bed. He raised her and I made sure her body was straight I pulled the pillow out from under her head and placed a large towel under her head and then placed the basin down under her head so the water had a place to go.

"You are going to have to hold her the whole time." I told him and he nodded. I knew it was an awkward angle and I was glad she was small I knew he could hold her without risk of dropping her. I set to quickly rinsing her hair once I had it wet I quickly lathered it up and then proceeded to gently wash her hair washing the blood out of it. I then rinsed her hair once I had all of the soap out of her hair I pulled the basin out from under her. "You can lower her until I get more water." I told Ranger. He nodded and lowered her.

I quickly dumped the water and filled the basin again. Walking back over to the bed he raised her as he had before and I proceeded to rinse her hair some more. I added some conditioner and then worked it through her hair with my fingers. Rinsing it all out I removed the basin. "Okay you can lay her down now I can dry her hair for the most part without having to raise her up." I told him and he nodded.

I couldn't help but notice how he touched her. How he treated her. He treated her as though she was the most fragile of glass and that any minute he expected her to break into a thousand pieces. I knew there was something about this poor sweet girl that drew Ranger to her. Maybe he just felt the need to protect her. I felt the need to protect her and I had only just seen her. Seeing her so fragile, laying there unconscious limber and vulnerable brought out those feelings.

I ran my fingers through her wet curls separating them. I followed that with the comb working through the wet tangles that separated without much of a fight. I picked up the blow dryer but changed my mind when I saw all the plugs had equipment plugged into it for the various monitors that were setup for her. I didn't want to risk unplugging anything so I continued to just work around her hair with the brush and the towel drying it as I brushed it out and ran the towel over it.

This was the longer way but it would eventually dry enough that I wouldn't worry about her getting her bedding wet. Once it was almost dry I gave it one more brushing her hair felt much better soft, silky the curls softer.

Her hair even looked better brighter shinier it somehow made her beautiful even in her state. It wasn't hard to look at her and see the beautiful woman she was. Let her gain thirty pounds and she would be beautiful and healthy looking.

I looked up at Ranger who was staring at her. His eyes had barely left her the entire time I was in the room. Even when I spoke to him his eyes were rarely off of her. I couldn't help the internal hope I felt for him rising with every minute I was in the room. He had been so closed, so hard for way too many years. He needed someone in his life that he cared for and who cared for him. I only hoped this woman would care for him the way I could see he was looking at her.

The life he and his men lead isn't easy it's extremely demanding and dangerous. I worried about them not because of the dangers in their lives I just worried because I knew what they were missing; love. Most would be the first to say they didn't deserve to be loved, didn't deserve to bring a woman into their worlds. I knew the arguments I had lived there caring for them long enough to have even heard a few of their excuses but it was nothing but an excuse.

If you didn't put yourself out there make yourself available then you would never be hurt but I couldn't help but live by the words it was better to have loved and lost than to have never loved and for most of these men they had never loved, never been loved and it was heart breaking.

These were good men, men with honor, men with courage men that made this world better because they existed. They could call themselves, monsters, they could say they lived with demons, they could use the excuse of not having a soul or incapable of love but I knew better I knew the truth. The truth was these men had hearts. They had souls. They had the capacity and capability of deep profound love and trust that not many people had the capacity or respect for.

They knew the value of a life and what it meant when a life was taken. They understood more than most the value of an hour and the claim of freedom most just threw away and took for granted. For these men they understood what it meant for tomorrow to come and how nothing was ever promised unlike most people.

What they thought made them dark, terrible heartless soulless monsters actually made them something far from that. It actually made them very special men. It made them men that were capable of profound love, happiness, and trust. They just needed the right woman to pull it out of them. They just needed to open their hearts to the possibility of love, and happiness some of them had written off so fast in the past.

I couldn't help but look at the woman lying before me and wondering if she wasn't that person for Ranger. Would she open his heart to the possibility of love, happiness, and trust? I couldn't help but send a prayer up to God as I ran my fingers through her hair one final time. 'Please let this woman be the woman to open Ranger's heart. His heart has been too closed, too dark, and too broken for way too long. He has seen too much evil in the world it is time for him to find love, find trust, find happiness. He needs to find the light for his darkened world. Please let that light reside from this beautiful woman that he is drawn to.' With one final look at Ranger and the woman before us, I decided it was time to get back to my boys at Rangeman.

"Ranger if there's anything you need, or if she needs anything please call me. If you are planning on staying I will have one of the guys bring your meals to you." I told him and he nodded smiling.

"Thanks Ella. I know I don't say it often enough but thanks." He said and I nodded smiling. No he didn't say it often but then again he never had to say it. I would always do it because I knew even if he didn't say it he appreciated it. He always seemed to show what he didn't always say.

I gathered up the things I brought with me for her bath "I hope she wakes up soon." I told him what I left off was the fact I could see he was worried about her. He didn't need to know I saw that side of him. I saw several sides of him he wouldn't want to admit to while I was in the room. All of which gave me hope. I didn't want to ruin my changes of my prayer coming true by drawing his attention to them.

I made my way out of the door in search of Ram and Vince so I could get back to my boys.

****

RPOV

I had helped Ella by holding Stephanie so she could dress her and wash her hair. I still couldn't believe how light she felt in my hands. I was careful to hold her still while Ella worked and I was happy that she had come tonight. Her hair looked bright and shiny and seemed to glow. I noticed that even Ella had a difficult time keeping her hands out of her hair. It haloed around her head making her appear more beautiful.

I couldn't wait for her to open her eyes. I wanted her to wake up. I wanted to look in those blue eyes again and see a life behind them. I wanted to see the soul behind them. Something within me craved it.

I had relaxed some but as I watched Ella wash her anger washed over me again as I saw the bruising on her body and I really hoped that Lester would be able to tell me who had done that to her. But I was sure it was going to be something that I wouldn't find out until she woke up and she was able to tell me.

I briefly wondered what was keeping Lester. I was anxious to find out more about this woman. I needed to know more. I picked up my phone sending Lester a text message 'report'. It wasn't but a minute when my phone vibrated pulling it off my side he had responded.

'Have some info still have questions, tonight or tomorrow?' Fuck. I looked at the time it was almost twenty hundred hours visiting hours would be over soon. Not that they really applied to us but I tried to follow hospital rules when I could. They were going to be moving us to another room within the hospital at some point in time so I resigned myself that I wasn't going to find out everything tonight.

I texted him back 'tomorrow, answer those questions, will text you the room number.' I sat back down in the chair beside her bed grabbed her hand and laid my head back on the bed, my forehead resting against the mattress beside our entwined hands. I once again closed my eyes willing my body and mind to calm and let sleep take over. However, I couldn't help but think it was going to be a long fucking night.

****

LPOV

Well something had gone right. I wasn't expecting it but Ranger had agreed to me filling him in on what I had discovered in the morning. Maybe he wasn't as attached as I originally thought. It didn't sound like the Ranger I knew of course nothing he had done today was like the Ranger I knew. But I was glad I didn't have to go to the hospital tonight, I was fucking exhausted.

I hadn't really done anything but searching into the background of the woman but it had exhausted me mentally and emotionally. I needed to wrap my head around what I was going to tell Ranger, and then how I was going to get him walk away; he needed to walk away.

I knew I would have to tell him the whole truth I couldn't withhold what I found about her. He would know and he would kick my ass all the way to hell and then leave my ass there with the way he was acting. It wouldn't matter if I was his cousin; his blood. He would leave me.

I would tell him everything I found out about her but then I needed to make him see that the smartest move for him, for Rangeman, and for me would be for him to walk away. I wasn't ready for this shit in my life again.

I laid my head down on my pillow all of these thoughts going through my head. I would come up with an idea only to excuse them for the reasons of being completely stupid or for never going to work. Once Ranger heard her story he was never going to let her go, he was never going to let her go.

Just hearing Mary Lou made me want to fucking help her and it had led me to promising something I never wanted to promise but in the end couldn't keep from doing. My mouth opened and I inserted foot without my brain even realizing it.

Once he heard what I had to tell him he would have a dozen things to latch on to help her with. Fuck her life was so fucked up that I wasn't even sure if Ranger with all of his resources would ever be able fix, help, with all of it.

We were all fucking screwed. Somehow I wasn't seeing this night as a night that was going to aid me in my exhaustion. The more I thought, the more I plotted to figure out how to make him walk away, the more I found myself being reminded of my promise. How could I keep that promise if he or I walked away? I wasn't one to just make a promise and break it. Fuck. I was screwed, blued, and might as well be tattooed because now there was no turning back.

I tossed I turned and with every minute of willing myself to go to sleep I was that much further from sleep. Something echoing in my head that Mary Lou had said, her neighbor had said, that sick fuck that I had made piss himself. That thought was the only thought that actually gave me a reason to smile.

I started to go to the gym but I had already worked the bag; it was fucking dead. Beating it more would have been like beating a dead horse. Of course at this point I was almost willing to do it if would fucking calm my mind but I knew it wouldn't.

Every time I shut my eyes I saw her face, I heard a piece of her story, I was reminded of her empty house. I didn't need this shit. Ranger needed to see that I didn't need this shit in my life and fucking walk away from it. I couldn't trust this shit in my life again. I couldn't allow this shit to happen to me again.

Not that I was in love with her, it wasn't that I didn't have those feelings but I had feelings of wanting to shelter her, help her feelings that I didn't want to be fucking feeling for anyone. I knew Ranger should have asked someone else to do this shit. Damn now I wished he had asked me to come tonight to fill him in because I might just be tempted to knock him the fuck out for getting me into this shit.

I turned once again punching my pillow because it wasn't right. It wasn't the pillow that really wasn't right it was me that wasn't right and I wasn't ready to be happy with anything including the pillow. I halted there for a moment only to groan and flip again. I had slept more comfortably on a fucking jungle floor or in the fucking dessert with deadly snakes, enemies, and fucking buried land mines than I was sleeping in my own fucking bed tonight.

I flipped once again throwing the covers off of me onto the floor because they were further pissing me off by wrapping around my legs.

I willed myself to lay still but it wasn't really working. The energy that was flowing through me was enough to keep me awake and alert, like when I am on a mission. Just when I start to relax my arm or leg jumps and jolts me enough to prevent sleep from taking over. It was going to be a long fucking night.

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	16. Chapter 16: Ranger Get The 411

**Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! For those that have Private messages turned off that left Reviews thank you for the reviews! I love reading every one of them so keep them coming.**

**I want to Thank Margaret Fowler for encouraging this story out of me. When I mentioned it to you 6 – 7 months ago you didn't let it die in my head. You kept pressing for it so here it is finally being written! I hope it is everything you thought it would be.**

**Standard Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine. They belong to JE I just take them out of the box and play with them a little. I have begged to keep Ranger and Lester for myself but I have yet to get a response…**

I haven't replied to your reviews from chapter 15 but I will. I wanted to first make sure I got this chapter finshed...as I thought you all would appreciate that more than a reply...but I also didn't want to give anything away from this chapter...have fun..I hope you enjoy it!  


**Chapter 16: Ranger gets the 411**

**LPOV**

I finally decided at zero five hundred I had enough tossing and turning and got up. I was worn out and the day hadn't even started. I had been through worse but that was only when I was running missions. When I stopped missions I made sure I slept in a comfortable bed every night from that night until last night.

I can't say that last night I slept in a comfortable bed. Even though it was mine there was nothing comfortable about the bed or pillow last night. I tossed and turned more last night than I had ever in my life. I had lost slept to nightmares and fear of sleeping but I had never lost sleep because of tossing and turning.

I made my way into the bathroom turning on the shower as hot as I could stand it. I stepped in and let the warm water wash down over me wetting my hair, running down my face shoulders, back and chest down onto my legs. I let the warmth wash through me. I let the steam seep into my bones and slowly wake up my mind; my body.

I closed my eyes holding my head up so the water would poor down onto my face. I didn't want to move until I had fully woke up but I knew that wasn't going to happen because the only way I was going to fully wake up would be to drink caffeine lots and lots of caffeine.

With that thought I quickly started washing my body and hair. It wasn't but a few minutes that I was turning off the water stepping out. I quickly dried off pulling on my cargos and Rangeman tee. I had formed a plan for the morning.

I walked into the bedroom and finished getting dressed. I put on my watch, pocketed my phone, but most importantly I strapped on my guns; one on my hip and one in the small of my back. I then picked up my knives and clipped them on my belt and pocketed the ones that fit in my pocket.

I made it out of the apartment and up to my office. I knew the day would be mostly spent out of the office but I was hoping that once I made it to the hospital I would be able to report what I found out and talk Ranger into leaving and get back to Rangeman before lunch time. I was ready to wash my hands of this. Last night had told me everything I needed to know; everything I already knew. I didn't need this shit in my life.

Walking into my office I picked up the skip pile and started looking through them. The pile had grown a little from yesterday but that just brought a smile to my face. I would be able to have some fun when I was done with being Ranger's bitch.

I made a couple of notes of where I thought some of the easy ones could be picked up and I put the files in the out box. Cal would pick them up and assign the men he wanted to do the pickup. The more dangerous the skip the more elaborate the pickup because we for one had to insure our safety but we also needed to insure the safety of any innocents. We didn't give a fuck about the security of the skip we got our money alive and well, beaten, or dead and none of us particularly lost sleep when it came to those fuckers. Long as we got our money we didn't give a fuck alive or dead. It was really a decision the skip made.

I had decided that before I went to the hospital I was going to swing by Stephanie's parent's house. I wasn't going to go up and talk to them I just wanted to drive by. I didn't think it would tell me a whole lot but for some reason I felt like it was worth it.

I picked up the more technical skips and walked over to the couch where I could sit more comfortably as I went through the files. At zero eight hundred I stood up stretched setting the unfinished skip folders on the table. I knew Ranger would be biting at the bit for me to get there so I walked into the break room grabbed a quick bite and refilled my coffee cup. I Walked out of the break room and my phone buzzed.

I pulled my phone. Ranger had texted me 'Room 408' so they had moved her to a room on the fourth floor. I texted back 'see you in 60' my phone buzzed '30' fuck. I should have known his patience wouldn't hold out. I was hoping but I think I should have known better.

I texted back 'need to run by house 45' phone buzzed again 'bring Tank'. Well at least I would be able to give report one time to both of them. I texted him back 'ok'. I made my way to Tank's office. I knew he would be there walking in he looked up.

"Tank, Ranger wants you to come with me to the hospital. I need to run a quick errand before I go to the hospital it won't take me long." I told him and he nodded standing up. He holstered his gun on his side, clipped his knives on his side and then pocketed his cell phone.

I was actually glad Ranger had asked Tank to be there because I wasn't sure how he would handle the information I had to tell him. He wasn't acting like himself and if he fucking flipped out on me, Tank and I could hopefully keep him from hurting someone in the hospital or destroying the hospital room.

Bobby would be there as well I just hope he had a sedative with him just in case Tank and I weren't able to hold him back. I would call Bobby but if Ranger over heard this conversation he would kill me. He hated being drugged and it was only to happen if there were no other resolution. We made the mistake of sedating him one time and he took all of our asses to the mats. The only one he didn't knock the fuck out was Bobby and that was because he was his medic and Ranger needed him.

As attached as he was to her he wouldn't want to be knocked out because then he wouldn't be able to protect her so that option was pretty much out.

We made our way out of Tank's office and down to the SUV. I hoped in the driver's seat and we took off out of the garage. "I am going to ride by her parent's place before we go to the hospital." I told Tank.

I saw Tank look at me "you going to stop and talk to them?" He asked me and I shook my head no. I had no intention of talking them.

"No I am not stopping I just wanted to get a feel for the place. I am just driving by to see what I see." I told him not able to explain why I felt it was necessary. I wasn't even sure I understood either but after the conversation with Mary Lou I just wanted to. Chalk it up to curiosity.

Tank didn't say anything but I saw the look on his face it said it all. It was something I was trying to figure out myself. Exactly what it was I was going figure out or see by driving by. I wasn't able to answer that question so I am glad he didn't bother asking me.

It was like this woman was fucking haunting my ass and she wasn't even dead. It was bad enough I had lost sleep now I was doing shit that I had no idea why I was doing it only that I felt the need to do it. I wasn't going to tell Tank but I briefly wondered if I wasn't losing my fucking mind.

This shit was worse than PTSD at least that shit you could talk to someone and they understood why. This shit they would just look at you and confine your dumb ass for being stupid enough to admit it out loud to another living breathing soul.

What's that saying you only prove you are a dumbass when you open your mouth well this would be one of those cases.

It didn't take long before we were on her parent's street. I slowed down as I neared the house number I could see one car in the driveway and a truck parked in front of the house. About the time we neared the house the door opened. I quickly pulled up in front of the house beside theirs to watch what was happening.

The house was a duplex and painted some God awful colors. It looked like a baby had shit all over it one side the house was one color while the other side of the house was another color and all of the colors looked like varying colors of baby shit. I wondered if they really ever looked at what color the house was. I would have thought they rented it and had no control over color but I had seen where they owned it.

The lawn was kept; the flowers were coming up the porch clean so the house looked well kept. Looking at the house I see Joe Morelli stepping out of the door. My first instinct was to grab that mother fucker and beat the shit out of him. Tank looked over at me questioning my grip on the steering wheel.

I shook my head no telling him don't say shit. I had to calm myself down. I wasn't even sure if what Mary Lou had alluded to was actual fact but I had to agree to her though no girl wanted that experience for her first time and he was a son of a bitch for doing it. He deserved his ass beaten if nothing more than just for doing it there. I calmed a little. I saw her mom step out of the house they were talking but I couldn't hear what they were saying.

I decided at the moment that was probably a good thing. You could see the worry lines in her face, and I could tell she thanked Joe for something. What I no idea. His ass would be the last person on the planet I would be thanking if I were her. Of course had I been her he wouldn't be here today as I would have done what her father wanted to do and kill the son of a bitch. Obviously her father didn't want to kill him that bad because where he failed I would have succeeded.

I briefly wondered if her father was there but since I didn't see a cab I figured he was probably out on a pickup. It would be the time everyone would be heading to work. I was sure that was where Morelli was heading; to work.

I watched as she gave him a hug and I know my hands tightened on the steering wheel even tighter; fuck I didn't need this shit. I forced my hands to loosen. I watched Morelli go to his truck and waited until he had pulled out and was down the street out of sight before I pulled out. I didn't want him picking up the tail.

I took one final look at the house as I drove by and I decided that I wouldn't be planning on talking them anytime soon. I didn't even know her mother but seeing how she interacted with Morelli told me everything I needed to know.

Following Morelli I saw we were making our way closer to the hospital and I wondered if he was headed back to the hospital in search of Stephanie. If so, I would make sure he never found her. "Tank we need to take care of this situation. Morelli can't find Stephanie. There is history there. I don't have time right now for details on that but I will tell you later when I tell Ranger everything. But trust me if Morelli is anywhere near this hospital when I tell Ranger what I found out he is going to be a dead fucking cop." I told him.

Tank just looked at me. I saw the question but I didn't have time to answer him. It would take the whole story for Tank to understand and there just wasn't time for that. We needed to make sure that no one told Morelli the truth.

"Tank trust me, we don't want him finding Stephanie. We don't want Ranger and him in the same room well at least not after I have told Ranger what I have to tell him. He will fucking kill him, trust me. We will be lucky with the way Ranger is acting if he doesn't go on a little hunt even after I tell him." I told Tank. He ran his hand over his face with added pressure his fingers pressing into his skin to the point that he was pushing the skin.

We all knew hunting cops was bad business. It got dirty, really dirty. Cops stuck with other cops and when a cop was killed well it was a witch hunt. No one would understand this. Ranger would be completely fucked and living under the jail after they got through with him. Of course with the way he is right now I wasn't certain he would consider all of this before just acting.

I watched him park and walk in. I was tempted to park and follow him in but I didn't want to alert him to the fact that we were there. I watched waiting hoping he would come back out scratching his balls with confusion. He wasn't the sharpest knife. So long as he had no idea we were involved he wouldn't know where she was. I just hoped whoever it was behind the desk did their fucking job and didn't rat Stephanie out. Of course if they did Ranger would rain down a shit storm but of course by that time it is done. There is no taking it back or making it right.

"Man you going in?" Tank asked and I nodded but I didn't move.

"Yeah we are going in; I want to see first if Morelli gets turned away. Hopefully he will be walking out of the door in the next few minutes. Then we can go in. If he doesn't come out in a few minutes we need to go in to see if he is trying to get in to see her." I told him. He nodded.

I knew I was keeping him in the dark but I needed someone with a level head and until he heard the story I would tell Ranger, Tank would have a level head. I wasn't even sure there was truly anything to get upset about but like Mary Lou I knew it was more to the story; and it wasn't good.

We had sat there a few minutes when Morelli came back out of the door. He wasn't happy I could see from the expression on his face but I was certainly happy. One issue avoided hopefully now on to the reason we were here. Once he pulled out of the lot we got out and made our way in and up to the fourth floor. I still wasn't sure how I was going to tell him all of this shit.

Walking up to the door Binkie and Hank were standing guard. The room was a good location no doubt picked by Ranger. The room was at the end but there was a hallway that should you need could be used for an escape.

I knocked on the door. I heard a gruff enter. I opened the door and we walked in. Ranger was standing beside her bed and it wasn't lost on me that his hand was holding hers. Fuck.

I looked at Tank and I could tell that he had seen it too but we were both smart enough not to comment or make a big deal about it.

"Hey, how is she?" I found myself asking before I even realized I was ready to talk. We Walked further into the room she looked better. The blood washed off, her hair looked like it had been washed. I saw Ranger's laptop sitting on the table. She was dressed in Rangeman shorts and top of which I knew I hadn't packed for. He had called Ella. There was no other explanation. I knew he hadn't left her and none of the other guys would have thought about pants for her not with the catheter in.

"She is holding her own, her numbers are getting better but she hasn't woken up yet." He said. I nodded. I could hear the tension of not really knowing anything more in his voice.

"Well I found out some information. She has a best friend in town Mary Lou Stankovic. She lives in the burg area of Trenton. They have been friends for years, since grade school. She is basically her best friend and her only true friend. According to Mary Lou Stephanie here is guarded. She is friendly but doesn't really bond with others because her whole life someone has gossiped and is gossiping about her. To avoid the gossip she doesn't really let people get close to her." I told him. I thought that summed up the Stephanie that Mary Lou described to me.

"Gossiping?" Ranger said I knew what he meant it was the basically the same question I had when Mary Lou had said it. I mean we weren't in the fifth grade. Didn't that shit stop then?

"Apparently that section of town is highly ingrained in tradition the whole stay at home mom, women take care of the house, the kids, and the husband but don't work outside of the house. The man in the family works and brings home the money. Well Stephanie was never about those things. She didn't want to be the little lady of the house. But the gossiping started well before that. According to Mary Lou it started when none of other than fucking dumbass cop Joe Morelli talked her into his parent's garage and played some game with her. Mary Lou didn't say what kind of game. However there is a lot of fucked up history there." I told them holding on to that for last because Ranger was going to fucking flip.

I took a deep breath. "Mary Lou went on to tell me about how her mother was either ashamed or embarrassed by her and I think a lot of the times both not that I have proof of that. From the way Mary Lou sounded it sounded like it was that way for most of her life. I don't think there was much in the way of a relationship between them. At least not a healthy relationship as it appears as though she was willing to starve to death then go to her parent's for help." I told him. That was a pretty obvious observation because she was starved looking.

I paused thinking about what to say next and I wasn't sure how to put this, how to say it. Fuck you just rip the band aid off quick right? Take all the pain at one time to get it over with; right? Well I just went for it and jumped off into the deep end.

"I drove by her parent's house this morning and that prick Morelli was there. He was walking out about the time we went to drive past so I pulled over to watch. Her mother instead of putting a fucking bullet between his narrow fucking beady eyes she hugged him. We then proceeded to follow him here. I am not sure who he was asking for as we sat in the truck to make sure he came back out, and I didn't want him seeing us, but I would be willing to bet my left nut it was Stephanie here." I told them. So maybe I decided last minute not to pull it so quickly, so fast and to share some of that pain though I wasn't really sure how that was all going to work out.

I watched as Ranger's eyes hardened as the words I was saying seeped into his brain. "Anyway according to Mary Lou when Stephanie was sixteen Morelli showed up once again in Stephanie's life. She was working at the Tasty Pastry here in town after school. One night he comes in locks the door and proceeds to fuck her on the floor behind the counter. Mary Lou says she thought there was more to the story she said she asked Stephanie multiple times but nothing was ever confirmed. She was pretty adamant that she believed something happened between the two. She said that Stephanie would have never wanted to lose her virginity on the floor of the Tasty Pastry." I told them and the look in Ranger's eyes had me stepping back and putting my hands up showing that I was harmless, that I surrendered, that I wasn't the enemy.

"Man keep it together." I heard Tank warn Ranger and I watched as his eyes flashed over to him catching his gaze. Tank swallowed. Fuck this wasn't going to be good. This was really going to be bad.

"Ranger we don't know what happened man that is just one woman's view of things we don't know if she knows what she is talking about or not. She said that Stephanie would never confirm it so we don't know." I tried to argue. His gaze shifting back to me and I was instantly sorry I diverted his attention to me. He wasn't himself. He was the solider, he was the monster at the moment and like gazelle to lions we were his fucking prey. What he could target, what he could quickly attack.

I saw Ranger suck in a big breath of fresh air he was trying to calm himself down.

RPOV

I can't believe my ears. I hear about Joe Morelli and something within me comes roaring to life in a way that I am completely focused on ending his life.

I sucked I air trying to gain control. Lester's words of us not knowing the full details seeped in through the tightly wound monster within me that wanted its pound of flesh.

"Ranger there is more." Lester said and I nodded my eyes flashing as I began to gain more control of both me monster and the man.

"She went to Rutgers which we already knew what we didn't know was that her mom wanted to marry her off instead. She had to go behind her mother's back and apply and then she had to pay for it. Mary Lou said that she thought her grandmother and father may have helped but she was never sure. She first wanted to marry her to Joe after the incident which she found out about because he proceeded to write about it in all the men's bathrooms around Trenton." The monster once again sprang out and I wanted to pound Morelli into dust. I wanted to send him to the seventh ring of hell and watch as he burned. Her mother wasn't far behind in my desire for revenge, vengeance; to right a wrong that should have never happened. I looked over at the beautiful woman lying in the bed and once again willed her eyes to open so she could tell me what it was she needed. How I could help her.

Lester continued "Morelli left the next day to join the Navy. So he was military." I heard him say and I thought I would find his service record. I would see what type of soldier he was. My guess he wasn't he hadn't impressed me with his brevity in the police field. I thought as Lester continued the monster within me was planning. "By the time she went to Rutgers her mother wanted to marry her off to a Dickie Orr. He is a local attorney now and according to Mary Lou has never been able to keep it in his pants even when her mom was fighting so hard for her to marry him. Her mom just wanted her married it didn't matter to who." Lester said and he shook his head.

I made a note to look up Dickie Orr.

"Anyway Mary Lou said that she had some friend in college but none that she stayed in touch with." He told us and I couldn't help but think she had no one with the exception of Mary Lou in her life that was worth a shit.

"Mary Lou hadn't even talked to her in almost month but she said she was acting strange as she would normally come by at least once a month. I could tell Mary Lou was guilty admitting that but she has three small kids, a husband and all of which have been sick. I think Mary Lou is the only one in her life that actually cares about her. The others like to gossip about her and well I am not sure about her parent's especially her mother. Mary Lou seemed to think that Stephanie had a good relationship with her father and grandmother." Lester said. I nodded the monster within me focused and planning on how to pay Morelli back. He would soon learn that Stephanie was mine and protected what was mine.

I shook my head as those thoughts popped into my head. Since when was she mine? Since when did I decide she was mine? Fuck. I didn't need this. I needed to help her and walk away. There was going to be none of this mine fucking shit.

Lester continued to tell me what he had discovered. "I went to the jobs circled on the paper and she had been there filling out applications. I was told at two places that her application was thrown away both citing the way she looked and or dressed for the reasoning. There was this one place, an accountant firm, the one partner, Saunders, talked to Stephanie and I am pretty sure he tried to get her to agree to inappropriate office behavior. Just the way he told me that she was to do whatever he asked and take care of whatever he needed her to do. He seemed to enjoy saying that too well for that not to be more underlying meaning. Also according to the receptionist Stephanie left in such a hurry that she didn't give them an application. I think she practically ran out of the building." He told me and my mind immediately went to the bruises on her body. They had happened before the accident. Maybe he was who she was running from. If so, he was a dead mother fucker. I just needed proof.

"Lester you need to back track her path. Use cameras where you can. I want to know if she was running from him when she had the accident." I told him and he nodded. I could tell he wasn't entirely happy I had asked him that I knew it would be a pain in the ass getting all of the videos, reviewing them, filling in the time frame but he could pool Rangeman resources to get the information he didn't have to personally do it.

"Man I don't know how to say this but you need to walk away from this girl. You need to get your ass back to Rangeman and forget about this." He said and I felt the monster within me to spring forward.

"Who the fuck are you, to tell me what I need to do or when I need to do it?" I asked him my annoyance and anger seeping through the words.

He shook his head "Man you know we don't need this shit in our lives. Did you just hear her fucked up story? She doesn't need us in her fucked up life either. We all have our own shit of problems to deal with and none of us need to have any additional shit added to our fucked up lives." He said anger rising in his voice.

"Lester you need to back the fuck down. I am not walking away until I am able to figure out what it is she needed my help with. Why she was fucking running, who put those marks on her body, I want to know if Morelli did something to her. I want to fucking know everything there is to know and I am not walking away until I am satisfied I know and I have helped her. You need to get a grip of yourself because you are dangerously getting close to a line you don't want to fucking cross." I warned him.

"Ranger you know I am right this is some fucked up shit of yours from that mission you were just on. It has fucked with your mind we all see it, we all know it. You aren't acting the same. You need to snap out of this shit and get your fucking head back on straight and focus on what really matters; running Rangeman." Lester rebutted raising his voice to emphasis what he felt like I was neglecting and to make his points. I stepped closer but Lester held his ground. He was fucking mad; good so was I.

"Lester I am going to help Stephanie and it has nothing to do with any god damn mission." I told him. I knew that wasn't exactly the total truth but he wasn't going to get anymore from me. Fucking prick didn't need any more ammunition to argue the case for me to walk away. I already knew she didn't need us in her life complicating it further with our shit. That was pretty clear after hearing what Lester had to say. We all came with our own set of complications and fucked up history and she didn't need any more complications in her life.

"I told you her history and you paid her fucking bills what more do you want? She will be able to get out of the hospital go home to live debt free. Now she only needed to find a job. With your contacts you could probably have someone hire her. She isn't stupid she has a business degree it has to be useful for something. You don't need to bring her into our lives to help her anymore you have helped her. Let that be enough." He said sounding defensive. He wanted me to walk away because of what he was feeling. It had nothing to do with me, or really her other than he didn't want her in his life.

"Lester you want me to walk away for your reasons not for mine not for hers for own reasons because you don't want to feel what you are feeling." I pointed out to him. The look on his face told me I was right. I should have felt bad for saying that but I didn't fuck him he had pissed me off.

He looked at me and leered "I never thought I would see the day when the mighty Ranger couldn't find a woman to fuck and had to go looking for it from an unconscious girl. You must need a fuck pretty bad to stoop that low." He spit out at me.

The monster within me sprung free and pounced before I even realized I had moved Lester was dropping to the ground before any of my actions registered. I heard a gasp turning toward the direction from where the sound came I was met with the most wonderful blue eyes. The monster within me immediately stood down and calmed as my eyes locked on hers. She was awake. Her eyes that I had willed to open were open.

Her eyes were wide with fear and I could see the questions rolling through her mind as her eyes stared into mine neither of us willing or capable of breaking eye contact for the moment. I cursed under my breath that she had seen that side of me. That my actions had scared her when all I wanted to do was protect her and be here for her when she woke up so she wouldn't be afraid. Lester had fucked that up. He would pay dearly for that one. That fucker better not wake up anytime soon.

I stepped closer to her I held my hands up letting her know I wasn't going to harm her. I looked at her she was still scared frightened yet her eyes were locked on me as mine were locked on her. Before I could register anything to say or do one word slipped out of my lips. "Babe."

**Let me know what you think…Leave a Review.**

Starting next week I think I will have to go to every other day (Mon, Wed, Fri) updates. This was a tough week to get daily updates in but I really want to continue trying so I will try...but just wanted to prepare you.


	17. Chapter 17: Fighting the Darkness

**Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! For those that have Private messages turned off that left Reviews thank you for the reviews! I love reading every one of them so keep them coming.**

**I want to Thank Margaret Fowler for encouraging this story out of me. When I mentioned it to you 6 – 7 months ago you didn't let it die in my head. You kept pressing for it so here it is finally being written! I hope it is everything you thought it would be.**

**Standard Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine. They belong to JE I just take them out of the box and play with them a little. I have begged to keep Ranger and Lester for myself but I have yet to get a response… **

**To everyone who has left a review! I have been busy writing and haven't responded to the reviews! I am trying to stay ahead of the story….but will be switching to updating on Monday, Wednesday, Friday! I hope you continue to leave reviews. I honestly love and crave them all! I will reply whenever I can which I hope will be from this point forward! I hope you enjoy the new chapter…Stephanie is awake!**

**Chapter 17: Fighting The Darkness **

**SPOV**

I heard voices swimming into the darkness I was in. I wasn't sure where I was, I wasn't sure how I had gotten there. I tried to go back in my mind to figure out what had happened, where I was and why I wasn't able to open my eyes.

I heard voices but I wasn't able to really understand what they were saying. My mind was too unfocused to grasp what they were saying. Who were they? Where was I? Why were they here? The more the darkness lifted the more pain I found myself in.

It felt like every bone in my body ached some more so than others. I decided to not pay attention to the voices as following them was more than my brain was capable of at the moment. I decided to inventory my own body.

I had something down my throat and it felt odd because it was almost like I didn't have to breathe it was pushing air into my lungs and I wanted to fight it. I had the urge to jerk it out. Panic rose in me to get it out. I wasn't able to work my extremities and more panic set in. Was I paralyzed? What happened?

I once again tried to remember. The only thing I could remember was an angel. I remembered staring at an angel. I wanted to scream out, I wanted to cry. I wasn't ready to die. I wasn't ready to go. But this wasn't heaven, this wasn't hell at least I hope it wasn't. They didn't put tubes down your throat in heaven or hell.

The beeping of machines slowly worked their way into my conscious. My brain wasn't working on a level to put the pieces together or on a level to answer the question I had flying through my mind. I was only able to focus singly on one or the other. I wanted to wake up, I wanted to see for myself exactly where I was, why I was in so much pain, and who it was talking around me and why their voices were getting louder, and angrier. Who were they angry with?

I was beginning to process certain words I heard so the more the fogginess and darkness lifted the more I was able to process the words but I was still finding it difficult to focus on them with the pain increasing. I couldn't help but wonder how much more would the pain increase. It had been rising with every second and it wasn't showing any signs of slowing down.

I wasn't sure what to focus on the voices, the tube, the pain it was sort of one or the other would float into my conscious only to be taken over by the other. The questions were on a loop in my brain and would pop up in my head but I wasn't able to answer them.

I kept seeing the angel. He wasn't like any angel I had ever seen depicted in pictures. He was in black, not white. He didn't have wings but he had this aura that made it feel like he was an angel. I couldn't seem to get the image out of my mind. I was drawn to him. I wanted to know who he was, why he was there, if he was real.

I wanted him to be real. I couldn't help to think of the irony that my angel wore black. My mom would be embarrassed if she knew. She would say that is fitting for my angel. How other people's angels were white and wore golden halos, and had beautiful white wings my angel was black, no halo, and no wings.

The voices in the room I briefly wondered if one of them was my angel. Could he be real? If he was would he be here, wherever that was, with me? Why would he stay? He would have no reason. Angels didn't hang around and if they did; mine wouldn't.

"Joe Morelli" I heard one of the voices say and I couldn't help but wonder why they called his name? Was he here? No. Our paths hadn't crossed each other since I ran him over with Grandpa's buick and I hoped our paths wouldn't cross again. He deserved it, well he deserved worse but it was all I was capable of at the time.

Regardless he got the memo. That was all that was important. He had stayed out of my life and I had stayed out of his. That was how I wanted it. The pain kicked up a few notches and I lost the ability to think about it any further.

My brain once again registered angered voices. I could tell there was tension between the two voices. I couldn't imagine what it was that was causing them to be angry with one another. I tried to focus on their voices to help turn my attention away from the pain I was feeling.

I struggled to fight the darkness so that I could start to understand the words the voices were saying. At some point I realized that both voices were male. Part of me wanted my angel to be one of them but I still wasn't certain if he was real. It was the only thing I could really remember but why was I remembering that and nothing else? It seemed odd.

I tried to go further back in my mind but it was cloudy at best. I heard the one voice tell the other voice something about crossing a line. I wondered what line, where were we that he was close to a line, and with the anger in his voice was it a physical line or a metaphoric line? I decided that was too much for my brain to process so I gave up trying to figure it out.

I continued to focus on their voices. I heard one of the voices say something about getting a head on right and a mission. I wasn't able to make sense of what he was saying only how angry his voice sounded. Even with the anger I could hear in both voices I wasn't scared, I wasn't afraid.

I wasn't sure why they were mad but they were mad. I briefly wondered if they were mad at each other or if they were mad at me. In some way it felt like this was about me. That it was all about me but I wasn't sure. Between the fogginess of my brain and the level of pain I was finding concentrating on anything was difficult let alone trying to figure out a puzzle.

I heard one of the voices call my name, so they knew my name. They knew me yet I didn't know them. How did they know my name? Why would they know my name? Neither of the voices sounded familiar to me. I don't think I have heard either voice before in my life. They both had a slight accent but I had no idea what.

If their voices didn't hold such anger I would have found them very soothing, comforting, and I would have enjoyed just listening to them talk but the anger sort of ruined it all.

I heard one of them say something about walking away and I didn't want them to leave. I knew it was stupid as I didn't know them but I wanted to see if one of them was my angel, I wanted to see them before they walked away. It made since for them to walk away I mean I was nothing to stay for but still I wanted them to stay. I didn't want to be alone.

For the moment they were there and I wanted to see them. I pushed really hard against the darkness. I was demanding my eyes to open. The pain was rising but for now I had tabled that and was focusing on nothing but opening my eyes. I couldn't understand the desire in me to see them but I was willing to do whatever I had to do to open my eyes so I could see the voices before they walked away.

Something deep within me was driving me and it seemed like it was to the point that I was going to open my eyes or die trying to open them. I continued to push hard until I saw a bit of blinding light. I was so close. I had to actually shut my eyes from the light and wait a moment.

I pushed once more and more light filtered in but I resisted the urge to close my eyes and slowly let them adjust to the light. I finally decided to just open them. My eyes opening all the way blinking rapidly as they desperately wanted to fight the light. Flashes of white would come in with the light and I knew without having to really look I was in a hospital room.

I saw the tube coming out of my throat and I wanted to panic but then I saw them. Three huge men in my room standing near the foot of my bed two men were facing the one man. Two of the men were close to each other and those must be the men that belong to the arguing voices as their bodies were tense and coiled at each other. The third one stood slightly behind one of them but I hadn't heard him speak. From the voices I knew he wasn't one of the two.

I saw the one man spring forward with lighting speed and with one punch the other guy was falling to the floor. I gasp as fear rose in me for having seen him attack. I watched as his body turned and his eyes locked on mine. I couldn't look away from him. I was afraid but somehow deep inside I knew there was nothing to fear from him. He wasn't going to hurt me. I wasn't able to turn my focus away from him and no matter how much pain I was in I wasn't able to turn my eyes from him.

He stepped closer to me and I felt my eyes widen. He was looking at me when he said "Babe".

He was beautiful, he was my angel, he was real and he was standing in the room. He held his hands up and he stepped closer his eyes never leaving mine. He paused when he was at the chair that was sitting beside my bed. Had he been sitting there? How long had I been here? Had he been here the entire time? Questions flew through my mind.

"Man I am going to step out, what do you want me to do with him?" The huge man said but my eyes didn't leave the man before me. His eyes didn't leave mine as he answered.

"Leave him, he has an apology he needs to make and once it is accepted, if it is accepted, I will decide what to do with him. He can double time it back to Rangeman as part of his punishment when I am done with him." The man before me said.

I heard the door open and close but I never diverted my attention from the man before me. Everything else was forgotten except for him. He sat down in the chair and he gentle reached and held my hand. The minute he picked my hand up I felt electric shoot through my body. I know he felt it too because he almost dropped my hand as our eyes left each other to look where our hands were joined and then flashed back to each other's eyes.

I couldn't talk with the tube in my mouth but I wasn't sure I would be able to talk with the pain that I was feeling. It had gotten to the point that I wasn't really able to focus. I heard the door open and I saw another large man walk in.

He walked up to the bed. "She is awake?" He said to the other man. Who nodded, never turning his eyes away from mine.

He walked up to my bed and started to pull the sheet back from me and I grabbed it holding it tight my eyes going to the man. I wasn't sure what he was doing.

"Stephanie, it's okay my name is Bobby Brown. I have been taking care of you while you were here. I am the Rangeman Medic. Please let me check on you and then we can work on getting that tube out. I will also tell you about your injuries and we will get you something for the pain you must be filling." He said.

Looking at him I saw truth in his eyes and I saw something about him that instantly made me feel as though I could trust him and there was no need to protect myself against him. He wasn't going to hurt me only heal me. So I let go of the sheet and allowed him to pull it down.

I raised my head looking at myself and I noticed I was in clothing I didn't own. It had Rangeman logo on it the same as the two men in the room. I wondered who would have dressed me in the clothing but I didn't focus on it too much at least I had clothing on, for that I was grateful. My left arm was in a cast as well as my left lower leg. I saw a tube running down from between my legs so I had a catheter in as well.

When I went to raise up further pain shot through my chest and I gasp. I had some sort of a cast thing on my chest. I squeezed the man's hand so I could at least move my hand that was a good sign right?

"Stephanie we are going to take out the tube. What I need you to do is cough when I tell you it will help us get it out. Okay?" Bobby asked me and I nodded. My hand tightened around my angel's hand and I felt his tighten slightly to let me know he was there.

He pulled the tape back slowly and when he was ready he said "Okay on three cough, one, two, three." I coughed and he gently but quickly pulled the tube out. My throat burned and I was instantly in need of some water.

"Water" I choked out and was immediately offered a straw which I gladly accepted sipping down the cooling refreshing liquid.

"Only a little bit. Easy sips at first just to calm your throat you can have more in a little while." Bobby said and I pulled back. I wanted to finish the cup but I would listen to him; for now.

I wanted to hear about my injuries. I wanted to know how bad it was. I looked up to the man holding my hand that had been seconds before holding my water for me. I couldn't but wonder why was he here? I was glad he was but how long had I been here and how long had he been here with me?

He had yet to say anything except for Babe. I didn't even know his name. Bobby spoke up again "Stephanie you were in a car accident. You broke the smaller of the two bones in your lower left leg that is why you have a cast on that leg." He said and I nodded.

"That break was clean, it should heal pretty fast and I doubt if you will have any problems with it. For six weeks you will need to use crutches as to not add any additional stress to the fractured area to allow it to heal properly but provided you don't stress it, it will heal good as new." He told me and I was grateful for that.

He continued. "Your Left arm is broken. That break was a clean break however that arm has been broken in the past." I nodded wondering how he knew that it had been broken before. It was broken before but that was when I was eight and jumped off the roof how in the hell would he be able to tell that now that I was twenty nine. I wondered. "Because it was broken in the past and now broken again at a different spot it could cause that arm to become weak. The bone more vulnerable to future breaks. There isn't a whole lot to do to prevent it but it is something to be aware of. Exercise and building some muscle mass around the arm will help but it won't prevent a break." He said.

I wasn't sure I was getting it all or understanding it all. For some reason I felt like I was missing something in that statement. But he continued. "Your arm should heal, again six to eight weeks. Other than the weakness and the possible potential for future breaks it should fully heal and you should have full range of motion in your arm." That was good but he wasn't done.

"Moving on, you broke two of your ribs. Those are going to be painful. We have you in a brace right now to help limit movement, and limit pressure being applied to the rib area. There isn't a good way to set the ribs but hopefully they too will be healing soon. You will have pain there for months so be prepared. It is going to hurt when you take a deep breath, laugh, and move certain ways. You should try to be careful of the type work you do and be protective of that area for months. Like your arm once ribs have been broken they are weakened and are prone to be re-broken." He told me. I felt my grip increasing on my Angel's hand I didn't really want to hear this.

"Your broken ribs actually damaged your lung and we had to take you to surgery where we had to repair the damage to your lungs. We were able to stop the internal bleeding and fix the lung. It didn't completely puncture the lung so you will heal good as new in no time. You may feel like you can't take a deep breath and that may be a little bit of both the broken ribs as well as the damaged lung but in time all will be normal." He said and then he took a deep breath. I could tell there was more but he really wasn't sure how to say this or what to do say. I could tell by the look on his face.

"You also hit your head. You had quite the goose egg from the hit but I think that is starting to go down a little. If you touched it or someone else touched it. It would be tender and it will be for a while. You actually slightly fractured your skull. There is nothing that can be done about it. It will heal. You have a concussion but you are for the most part out of the woods on that. There is no bleeding or anymore swelling of the tissues of the brain so really that isn't something to worry about. We will probably wake you up every two to three hours when you sleep for a little while but as long as we are convinced we can wake you up, now that you are awake it won't really become an issue." He said and I guess I was glad to hear that.

"Stephanie these all were injuries you sustained in the accident. But there was more wrong than just those injuries." He said. What was wrong with me? I had felt fine.

"Do you remember the accident?" He asked me and I nodded.

"Yeah I remember it now that you said it. I was trying to remember what happened prior to you telling me but I couldn't remember. After you said it I remembered it happening." I confessed to him and he nodded.

He turned on a small flashlight like thing and pointed towards my eye shining it in my eye and then pulling away. "Follow my finger with your eyes." He asked me and I did as he asked. He nodded I guess satisfied with what he found. That was a good sign, right?

"Your accident occurred about twenty-four hours ago now." He told me. Wow it felt like it had been longer than that. He continued "one of the reasons you were out for so long was because the PH level of your blood." PH of my blood? What the hell? Blood has a PH level? Does he mean like acidic or alkaline Ph level or something else? I briefly wondered.

"All liquids have a PH including blood. Some liquids are more acidic while some liquids are more alkaline. Blood, like water, should have a PH within the 7, neutral range, which is neither acidic nor alkaline. Actually for Blood the normal PH level is 7.4 which is slightly more alkaline. Actually if your blood was 7 you would be dead. The problem is your blood level was 7.2 which is why you didn't wake up when you should have. We had to give you fluids, and potassium. Your potassium levels were low as well. Because you are now awake your levels are getting closer to the normal ranges. So that is good." He told me.

"I need to ask you some questions." He said. I wanted to ask him if I had to answer him but I was pretty sure I knew the answer would be yes if I felt brave enough to ask him. Not speaking I nodded my head.

"You know you need to talk right?" He asked me and I once again nodded. He smiled I could see humor in his eyes at my answer.

"I mean yes." I told him feeling a little weird. My voice sounding more like that a frog's than my own.

"Stephanie, he started" and I couldn't help it I found myself opening my mouth cutting him off.

"How do you know my name is Stephanie?" I asked him. He looked at me surprised that I asked him. I wasn't sure it if it was because I cut him off or if there was another reasons.

"Why do you ask? Do you know your own name?" He asked me. Of course I knew my name. Why would he ask me if I knew my own name?

"Yes, I know my name. I wanted to know how you knew my name. I mean I haven't introduced myself yet you call me by my name. I just wanted to know how you knew my name." I told him.

"Well when you had your car wreck I was the one who got you out. You had your purse and we opened your wallet to get your identity." He told me and I was surprised I hadn't thought about that. I nodded that I accepted that answer.

"Stephanie" he started and again and I once again found myself cutting him off.

"Why were you at the scene and yet you are here caring for me. I mean if you were at the scene you would be rescue right? You wouldn't be a nurse or doctor here at the hospital." I found myself rambling trying to figure out why he was here looking over me.

"I am not a nurse or a doctor here at the hospital. However, I am a trained medic with Rangeman a security company here in town. When you had your accident you collided with a Rangeman vehicle so I was dispatched. When I got on the scene I was able to assist you and get you out of the vehicle. The Rangeman that was in the car you collided with wasn't harmed." He said and I looked toward my Angel and I wondered if he was the one I collided with. He had Rangeman on his shirt. So he wasn't an Angel he was a Rangeman maybe they were one in the same?

I heard a chuckle from Bobby, I think he said was his name. I looked back at him "I don't think Rangeman are angels but I will let them know you called them that. That should be fun." He said and I squinted at him drawing my eyebrows together in the confusion of that statement why would it be fun?

"Stephanie" he started again and I opened my mouth with another question but he held up his hand to halt me from interrupting him.

"Stephanie what's the last thing you remember?" He asked me. I couldn't help but think that was a good question and the only answer I could think of was I have no idea.

**Let me know what you think….Leave a Review!**


	18. Chapter 18: Questions and Some Answers

**Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! For those that have Private messages turned off that left Reviews thank you for the reviews! I love reading every one of them so keep them coming.**

**I want to Thank Margaret Fowler for encouraging this story out of me. When I mentioned it to you 6 – 7 months ago you didn't let it die in my head. You kept pressing for it so here it is finally being written! I hope it is everything you thought it would be.**

**Standard Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine. They belong to JE I just take them out of the box and play with them a little. I have begged to keep Ranger and Lester for myself but I have yet to get a response… **

**I want to thank you all for the support and understanding I have gotten with this story…it is incredible. I know no one liked having to go to every other day posting, including myself, but I didn't want to compromise the story with trying to push out a chapter a day now that things have gotten hectic. Hopefully when it settles down in a week or so I can go back to daily updates. At least that is the dream and goal. I hope you enjoy today's chapter!**

**Chapter 18: Questions and some Answers.**

**BPOV**

I had been trying to ask Stephanie some questions but she kept cutting me off asking me questions. I tried to see the humor and not get annoyed at being interrupted.

After I had answered all the questions I was willing to before I got some answers of my own I held my hand up. I wanted to start with the easier questions and then end with harder ones. I wanted to gain her confidence so she would open up to me and tell me the truth.

"Stephanie what's the last thing you remember?" I asked her. I saw confusion in her eyes and I saw it when she started to think. I knew it would be a little difficult but I wanted to see where her mind was before we drugged her. I needed to know what her state of mind was right now.

I knew the pain could slightly alter her answers but I also knew if I gave her drugs it would one knock her out and two it would further alter her ability to answer my questions.

She looked at me "well I remember I was in a car wreck." She told me and I shook my head no. I knew what she was doing, trying to snow me that she knew more than she knew. I had told her that so that wasn't going to count for her to tell me that was what she remembered.

"What do you remember prior to the car wreck?" I asked her and she looked at me her eyes slightly widened. I could see her trying to think. She was still holding Ranger's hand and he had been silent. I think he wanted to hear the answers to these questions as much as I did. Probably for different reasons but I knew he wanted to know.

She was quiet just laying there looking up at me. After she tried for a little while she shook her head in frustration. "I don't know." She finally said sounding frustrated and as if she was throwing in the hat. I nodded.

"It's okay. It could be the concussion, the trauma, or the pain you must be in." I said and I felt the tension in Ranger ramp up to a palpable level. He was so going to kick my ass for allowing her to be in pain and instead of helping her by easing the pain I was asking her questions. I was going to have to explain myself to him.

"Stephanie we are going to give you something to help with the pain I just wanted to see if I could get any indication of your memory prior to giving you something that will alter your responses." I told her hoping that Ranger would pick up on the why and save my ass from the kicking he was clearly going to give me. I could only be so lucky.

She nodded.

"Bobby, I remember that I was laid off from E.E. Martin six months ago, I remember things like that but I don't really remember the accident or what I was doing just before it happened." She clarified with me and I nodded. That was typical. It may or may not come back. For Ranger sake I was hoping it would come back.

I saw his hand tighten on hers and I saw determination fill her eyes.

"Bobby I don't want to be drugged. I need to stay awake I need to get out of here and go home." She said. I just looked at her and then looked to Ranger I had no idea how to respond to that.

Ranger spoke up for the first time his voice calm, soothing. His voice was so different than what I was use to that I almost looked twice to see if it was actually his voice; coming from him.

"Babe, you need to relax lay down let Bobby here give you something to help ease the pain. It's okay you are safe here, I promise." He said and I saw the truth behind his promise. I had no doubt how safe she was. She didn't even realize how true that statement was or how truly safe she was. Someone who didn't know Ranger and what he was capable of wouldn't be able to grasp it.

She made a face of confusion like something about that statement she wasn't following but then she spoke up again.

"You don't understand. I can't stay." She said trailing off to the point that I could barely make out the word stay. I looked up and she was looking down away from Ranger, away from me her face red. There was something she didn't want us to know. Something she didn't want to tell us she was embarrassed. What the hell would she be so embarrassed about and why was it affecting her ability to stay in the hospital?

"Why can't you stay?" Ranger asked her again his tone had me doing double takes. Normally he would just order it and that would be all that was said. It was done, but for her he sounded almost as if he was letting her have the control over if she was going to stay or not. Fuck who was this man before me?

She looked at him and looked down and shook her head. Basically telling him she didn't want to say why. "You can tell me. I promise no judgment. You look embarrassed Babe, there is nothing to be embarrassed about and you can tell me anything. You can trust us we won't hurt you." He said as he looked at me I knew I better hold his promise with the look he gave me and I gave him a slight nod to let him know I was on board with his promise.

She looked up at him again as if sizing him up if she could trust that she could tell him or not. She then looked over at me and I smiled at her hoping that I was conveying to her that she could trust me with whatever she was about to say. She must have seen what she needed because she nodded her head giving in.

"I can't stay….because…I can'taffordtopay" she ran all of the words together spitting them out as if she didn't want to have to say them but since she was if she said them really fast it would be out over and done with.

"You don't worry about that. Let me worry about that." Ranger said and she shook her head no looking at him.

"No, I can't let you worry about it or let you pay. I won't let you pay." She said adamant that she wasn't taking help from him and I had to smile within. Just wait when she finds out he has already helped her by paying her bills this should be fun. I briefly wondered how smooth talker was going to talk his way out of this one.

**RPOV**

I heard her words that she couldn't and wouldn't allow me to pay for her hospital stay and I had to be impressed. Here she was with a bank account with a total of six ninety in it, no insurance, and no source of income and she was going to fight me as to who paid the hospital bill. She wasn't going to allow me to pay it.

"Babe, trust me when I say it is already taken care of. Rangeman has an understanding with the hospital." I told her and I watched her eyes question me her eyebrows furrowing together.

"What do you mean Rangeman has an understanding with the hospital? What kind of understanding? And how does that apply for me?" She asked me her eyes clouded with confusion.

"Babe you need to not worry about all of that. Let Bobby here take care of you. We can talk about all of this later when you aren't in so much pain." I told her. I could clearly see the pain she was in and I wanted her to relax enough to just let Bobby take care of her. I needed her to let Bobby take care of her.

"What's your name?" She asked looking at me and I wasn't sure how to answer. Do I say Ranger, do I tell her Carlos. Shit when did I turn into a bumbling fucking fifteen year old?

"Carlos Manoso, but most people call me by my street name Ranger." I told her. She looked at me and I could still see pain in her eyes but I saw determination that she wasn't going to let the pain get in the way of what she wanted.

"I am Stephanie Plum but I think you already knew that." She finally said and I nodded that I knew her name. I had to smile that she introduced herself to me.

"Ranger" She said hesitant and then said "Carlos" as if she was trying out my names. When I heard my name come off of her lips I wanted to puff my chest out, I wanted to claim her as mine. I had never felt a reaction so strong from hearing my name. I was glad I was sitting down because my chest wasn't the only thing that wanted to puff out from my body.

I quickly cleared any thoughts of her having said my name caused on my body. Her body was in no condition for me to even be having those thoughts. She finally settled on a name and I couldn't have been happier. Fuck I needed mat time if I am thinking about being happier shit. "Carlos, what kind of understanding do you have with the hospital and why would I be included in on it?" She asked me again proving to me she wasn't going to let go of that question.

"Babe please we will talk about it after we have dealt with your pain." I tried to express to her but she shook her head; no.

"I am not taking anything until I know. I can't afford this. I already can't afford what it will cost, how can I stay and continue to rack up bills I know I can't pay." She said her voice getting almost hysterical.

I grabbed her hand with both hands "Babe, trust me. Please trust me, all is okay. Don't worry about this right now. We will worry about it later when your body is able." I told her.

I heard a whispered "you don't understand." I halted looking at her tears in her eyes ready to run down her cheeks. Probably a little because of the pain and a little because of the desperation I heard in her voice.

"I don't understand what Babe?" I asked her. I wanted to understand everything there was to understand. I wanted to give her anything and everything she needed just to stop those tears. Just to see her smile and make her happy. I would give everything.

I briefly wondered where those thoughts came from and I chalked it up to the importance of the situation. I needed her to calm down and accept the medicine from Bobby.

"Carlos, I don't have any money. I mean no money. My checking account is in the single digits, I have no job, and I have no way of paying." Her voice got higher the tears dropped down her cheeks as she finished the sentence. She continued "I don't want anyone footing bills for me just because I can't pay." She said I could hear her determination in her voice.

"Babe let me help you. You asked for my help. I am here to help you." I told her hoping I could use her words against her to calm her and force her to accept my help.

"I didn't ask you for help. I haven't asked anyone for help." She stated. I nodded my head.

"When we collided you asked me for help." I told her. She looked at me her eyes squinting and opening as she was trying to remember.

"That was you? I hit you?" She asked me. I couldn't help but smile.

"Technically I hit you because you ran right in front of me too close for me to stop or avoid from hitting you. But yes, it was me. It was also me that you asked for help." I told her again trying to iterate to her that I was going to help her.

She paused for a moment. "I don't remember asking you for help. I remember you standing there. I remember looking at you right before everything went dark and I remember thinking you looked like an angel. But that is all I remember." She said. Fuck I looked like an angel? She must have hit her head harder than we all thought because there was no way I looked like a angel. I needed some serious mat time.

Bobby spoke up "It's good that you remember that much Stephanie. Sometimes you don't remember anything just before the trauma. You will gain the majority of your memory back but there may be some things about that day that you never remember." He said.

I hoped that wouldn't be the case because I needed to get some of my questions answered.

Lester was starting to stir on the floor he would be waking up soon but his ass better just sit there and not interrupt her or me. I would get to him when I was fucking fairly well ready. He had an apology to extend but before he did that he would have to actually be sorry for what he said. I didn't think my single punch would make him feel sorry for shit other than for having been punched.

"If I asked you for help, then what was I asking your help for?" She said and I briefly wondered how I was going to answer this one.

"I don't know I was hoping you could tell me that one. I first thought it was because of the accident but it seemed more than that." I explained to her watching her eyes as they were locked on me.

She shrugged her shoulders and sucked some air in but when she did her eyes squinted tight together and her breathing stopped momentarily. Her ribs were letting her know they were there. A noise that was a cross between a cry and a moan escaped her lips before she bit down on her lip determined not to show us the true pain she was in.

I ran my thumb across the back side of her hand I had been holding. Her hand clamped down on mine and I assumed it was help her work through the pain. Seeing her like this was about to do me in. I was barely containing the rage inside me that wanted to demand she take the medicine but I held it back.

"Please Babe please take the medicine Bobby has for you. I promise you will be able to sleep we will make sure you are safe. You are safe here." I reiterated to her and not opening her eyes from the pain she nodded finally giving in to Bobby giving her some pain meds.

I nodded to Bobby who was standing there with the syringe in his hand ready to push it into her IV.

"What else can we do for her to help with the pain?" I asked him and he shook his head.

"I would rather just do it like this and give it to her when she needs it that way when it wears off we will have a few minutes to ask her questions or answer her questions." He said smiling. She did have a lot of questions.

**SPOV**

I felt a pain that shot through my body radiating from my chest and I thought I was going to scream in pain. A little sound escaped before I bit my lip. If I continue to bite my lip the way I was biting I was going to bite it off.

I heard Carlos ask me to take the pain medication and he said please so I agreed I didn't think I could hold out any longer anyway the pain had gotten the best of me. I could no longer fight it. So I nodded. It was only matter of minute or so later I felt my body relaxing the pain subsiding and I felt like I was slightly floating as the darkness washed back over me.

I woke up and I was standing in an office. I had no idea where or what office other than it was an office. There was a man who was on the heavy side yet short standing in front of me. The way he smiled at me was creepy but I was desperate I needed a job. It didn't take long before the man was grabbing me running my hand down the front of him. He was telling me what was expected of me when I had the job.

He held me close to him so I couldn't break away from his hold. I wanted to escape I wanted to run but I couldn't. Panic was rising in me as I fought against the hands that were holding me. I was too weak to break through and the pain I was feeling from fighting him was more than I could hardly bare but I wasn't going to give in and just allow him to do what he wanted because of the pain.

I felt hands on me and I heard a voice that I now knew the name it belonged to filter though my brain "Shh…querida its okay. Sshhhh Babe calm down. You are okay. You are safe. I have you." I heard him say. Carlos? Suddenly I was no longer in a room but in darkness as my body began to relax once again as I let the darkness take me hearing his words and feeling his hand rub up and down my right arm "go back to sleep Stephanie it is just a dream. Just a dream, I have you and you are safe. Rest querida you are okay." He said. I trusted him I was safe, I was okay, it was just a dream and I could rest. I couldn't help but wonder if it was just a dream or if it was something that had happened and this was my brains way of remembering.

**LPOV**

I slowly started to wake up as realization hit on several different levels. One I was lying on the floor of the hospital and two I felt like I had used my head to stop a semi.

Fuck I had a hell of a headache.

I slowly sat up and I saw Ranger standing over the woman holding her arms whispering to her. He was telling her that she was safe, that it was just a dream and that she could rest. She was thrashing back and forth and I knew she had to be causing herself some major pain with her injuries.

I stood up to see if I could help but Ranger's gaze caught me and stopped me in my tracks. His look was clear he wanted me nowhere near her right now. I stopped and stood still trying to shake the cobwebs from my brain.

The side of my jaw was aching like I tooth ache and I didn't need to even feel it to know it was swollen. I reached up feeling it anyway rubbing it as if to rub the soreness off. I knew that fucker had punched me and knocked me out but I wouldn't say I didn't deserve it. I knew I was pushing him and I also knew he wasn't in the mood to be pushed.

I just stood there watching him listening to him. She finally calmed and relaxed. I would have been grateful but all that did was allow him to turn his attention back to me. Fuck. I had fucked up big time I could see it in his eyes.

"She came too right when you decided to run your mouth and I knocked your ass out. She saw it all." Shit. I was fucking dead.

"I didn't want her to be afraid of me. I wanted to be there for her when she woke up not knocking your dumbass out." He said and I nodded. I briefly wondered if we had scared her. I mean we weren't small dudes and watching us go at it is scary for those that have never been a witness.

"Did we scare her?" I finally found my voice enough to ask. He didn't answer me.

"Why do you care?" He asked me. Fuck.

"Look man I am not an asshole. Maybe I shouldn't have said what I did to you but you know parts of my argument before that had truth in them. I don't want her to be afraid or scared she has had enough of that shit in her life the last thing I want is us adding to the long line of fucked up shit in her life." I confessed maybe confessing a little more than I was actually willing to admit to myself right now.

He stood up straighter holding himself at his full height and looked at me as if accessing what I had told him for truth.

"You owe her an apology." He said and I started shaking my head no. I had no intentions of talking to her. I was walking away I had told Ranger what he wanted and once I had the other stuff he requested I was done.

"You will apologize to her. That isn't a request it is an order." He told me. Fuck. I nodded my head. But he continued. "You will apologize when you are able to give her a meaningful apology and when she is able to understand what you are apologizing for." He told me. I gave in and nodded.

"I want you to head back to Rangeman and start gathering that data I requested. I am not sure how much of the day she remembers. So far I would say none. We need to piece her day together and see if we are missing anything and if so what. Tomorrow when she is awake you can come back and apologize to her. If you can't then you and I are going to have a serious fucking problem." He said and I once again nodded.

I couldn't disagree with him. He was right if he was going to help her and I was going to watch over her like Mary Lou had made me promise we needed answers and we needed them faster than she was capable of remembering them.

"Did Tank leave me?" I questioned him already knowing the answer.

"You know your way back, you can double time it." He said fuck he was going to make me run back to Rangeman. Didn't he know it was fifteen miles from the hospital to Haywood? I thought.

"I know exactly how far it is and I know exactly how long it will take you to make it if you double time it back there. I want you to have Tank text me when you are back there. Oh and if you are over the reasonable amount of time I have allowed for then every minute you are over the time you will go five minutes on the mat with Tank no holds barred." He said. Fuck. I was dead. I was a fucking dead man. The worst part was I was dead man running to the scene of what was going to end up being my murder. Tank was going to fucking kill me.

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**Next Update on Friday!**


	19. Chapter 19: More Questions

**Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! For those that have Private messages turned off that left Reviews thank you for the reviews! I love reading every one of them so keep them coming.**

**I want to Thank Margaret Fowler for encouraging this story out of me. When I mentioned it to you 6 – 7 months ago you didn't let it die in my head. You kept pressing for it so here it is finally being written! I hope it is everything you thought it would be.**

**Standard Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine. They belong to JE I just take them out of the box and play with them a little. I have begged to keep Ranger and Lester for myself but I have yet to get a response… **

**I want to thank you all for the support and understanding I have gotten with this story…it is incredible. I know no one liked having to go to every other day posting, including myself, but I didn't want to compromise the story with trying to push out a chapter a day now that things have gotten hectic. Hopefully when it settles down in a week or so I can go back to daily updates. At least that is the dream and goal. I hope you enjoy today's chapter!**

**Chapter 19: More Questions**

**RPOV**

I had sat in the chair holding her hand. Waiting to see if she was going to wake up but she hadn't woken back up. I briefly wondered if she was going to wake up anytime soon or if we were in another situation where we would have to wait longer for her body to be able function normally and wake up again. I allowed my body to fall forward and placed my head on the bed. Feeling the tension flow out of my muscles I tried to relax and rest.

I wondered when she woke up again if she would remember more. I felt her hand move and I turned my head to look at her. Her eyes were open looking at me. I paused watching her. Her hand reached to my head and rubbed my hair. I fought the urge to close my eyes at her touch as her hand ran down the side of my head.

"Babe, how are you feeling?" I asked her and her lips curved up in a smile. Her eyes were heavy lidded from the pain killers that were beginning to wear off. I had a feeling the touch wouldn't happen once the pain killers wore off I had a feeling the questions would come running back.

"Okay" she said and I smiled because I knew she was anything but okay.

"I can call Bobby in and he can give you something to help you." I told her and she shook her head no.

"No. I don't want anymore." She said. I couldn't help but smile again at her determination. I couldn't imagine the pain she was in. Actually I probably could because I have been injured before and I knew the pain of broken bones, broken ribs, and even surgery.

"What's Rangeman?" She asked me.

I pulled my chair closer to her and angled it so I could see her. "Rangeman is a local company that specializes in home and business security, we do some skip tracing, and we do security detail when requested." I answered her not going into all the details of how truly large the company was.

"What's skip tracing?" she asked me.

"You would call it bounty hunting. It's when someone who is bonded out doesn't attend their court date they are known as skips. We track them down and return them to the system." I explained to her.

"Why?" She asked me and I wasn't exactly the why she wanted to know.

"Why do we skip trace?" I asked her and she shook her head no.

"No, why do you want to help me?" She asked me and I couldn't help but think why wouldn't I want to help you. Looking at her seeing how brave she was, how tough she was, how determined she was yet how independent she was it was amazing. She was beautiful. She was a fighter you could see that. As much pain as she was in and she refused to give in to it she would rather be in pain, and question me than ask for help. I was in awe of her.

"You asked me to help you." I told her trying to keep from saying something that would sound completely stupid coming from someone she had just met and barely knew.

"But you didn't have to say yes." She said pushing for more from me.

"No I didn't have to say yes." I agreed with her she sort of had me there.

"But why did you?" She asked me.

"Why did you ask me to help you?" I turned the question around on her. I know it was completely amateur thing to do but I wasn't willing to talk about my reasons for helping her. I wasn't ready to admit it to myself let alone tell her or anyone else at the moment.

"I don't know. I don't remember asking you for help. I am not use to asking people for help so I can't really believe that I actually ask you for help. I don't doubt you but it isn't something I normally do." She said opening up to me a little more. I saw the vulnerability in her eyes but I also felt like she probably would have never said that without the pain killers in her system.

"Well?" I prompted her to see if she had remembered why she asked me for help.

"I have no idea why." She said looking at me I could see she was telling the truth. I grabbed her hand that she had laid on the side of my head. I wasn't sure she even realized her hand was still there touching me.

"Well what do you need help with?" I prompted her to see if she would say if she needed anything. She looked at me and shook her head and raised her shoulders slightly.

"No, I can't think of anything." She said. I couldn't believe my ears. Here she was starving, didn't have electric, six ninety in the bank account, jobless, and now injured and she couldn't think of any reason why she would need my help.

"Babe, want to try that again?" I asked her and her eyebrows furrowed together with questions. She was wondering why I had asked her that.

"Remember I told you Rangeman did skip tracing?" I asked her and she nodded her eyes not leaving mine. "Well we have our ways to find people by running background checks. We use programs to get other information on people that we can use to track them." I told her. I was hoping this would prompt her to be more honest with me. I wanted for her to put the pieces to together and come clean with me.

I wanted her to tell me about her life instead of me telling her what I knew about her life.

Bobby walked in the room interrupting our conversation. I was both pissed and relieved he walked in the room. He went about checking on her. I got her some fresh ice water. I looked at Bobby "What about food for her. Can she eat food?" I asked him and he nodded.

"Yeah there would be no reason she can't eat. Just light foods at first broth, jello, liquids mainly then if she does good with that we can increase her food allotment as she has able to handle it." He said and I nodded.

I picked up my phone texting Tank to get some chicken broth, liquids, and jello sent to the hospital as soon as Ella could have it ready. He would send it with change of shift which was happening soon.

When Bobby mentioned food her stomach let loose a growl. That had us all looking at her stomach. It also brought something up front center of my mind.

"Babe, can I ask you something?" I asked her not sure why I was asking if I could ask her something that sort of seemed redundant but I guess I wanted confirmation that she would answer my questions.

She nodded.

"What have you been eating up until today?" I asked her. She immediately turned away from me looking down and away from both Bobby and I. Her face turned red and that told me that she knew the answer but she didn't want to tell me.

"Babe?" I prompted her she shook her head no. "Babe, you can tell us anything. You can trust us. We will help you." She looked at me and her eyes flashed angry.

"You say I can trust you but how do I know I can trust you? You say I can tell you anything but I can't just tell you anything. You say you will help me but I haven't asked for your help." She bit out at me lashing out for the first time. I could see in her eyes that she didn't necessarily believe everything she was saying but she lashed out to keep from having to tell us about what she was eating.

She closed her eyes tight and I knew it was because of the pain. She took a deep breath in and pushed it out before once again opening her eyes. Her eyes caught mine and I could see sorrow in them. "I am sorry "she whispered out. "I shouldn't have said that. You didn't deserve that. You are trying to help me, and he is trying to care for me. It's just that in my life I have never had the things you are promising. So I am finding it a little hard to believe." She confessed.

She continued. "I am not use to answering personal questions about myself." She said. I nodded. Squeezing her hand to let her know I understood and that I didn't hold it against her. I knew it was partially the pain, partially the mistrust, and partially not wanting to answer the question which I would say of all three it was the biggest reason.

Bobby looked at her "I will get more pain medications ready for you." He said and she shook her head no.

"Not right now, I may take it in a little while but the longer I can go without the better. They cause…." She trailed off and didn't finish her sentence.

"Babe what do they cause?" I asked her wondering if she had some sort of allergic reaction to them that we were unaware of. She had seemed fine but maybe it was something none of us saw or knew.

She looked at me as if she was summing me up. "I had a nightmare before when he gave it to me." She confessed. She was looking at me and I saw fear in her eyes. She was remembering her nightmare.

"You want to tell us about your nightmare? It may make it better." I offered but she just shook her head; no. I let it go and didn't push her but I couldn't help wonder if she had a true nightmare or if she had a memory from before the accident.

"Stephanie we need to know about what you have been eating. I know you don't want to tell us but this is your health and I already explained how your PH levels are off there could be more wrong. We need to know to properly care for you." Bobby pushed using her health as leverage to see if she would answer him. He continued.

"Stephanie, we have seen your body already. We can see your body before us even in the clothing you are wearing we can look at you and know you are in a starvation phase." He told her. Her eyes widen at the thought of us having seen her body as she grabbed at the sheet and held it closer and tighter to her body..

"Babe, they had to care for you. They had to take X-rays and a CAT scan. They had to perform surgery on your lungs. They saw your body. Bobby was with you the entire time to ensure everything was done a hundred percent by the best doctor's this hospital has. I assure you there were no other motives for anyone seeing your body other than to provide you the care it needed." I told her and I saw her calm her hand release the covers I didn't tell her that I had seen her as well. I thought it would make her a little uncomfortable to know others had seen her outside of the doctors caring for her.

She looked at me and then Bobby and then her eyes settled back on me. She took a breath in and let it out not sucking it in as deep as she wanted because the pain prevented it. "I am going to have to tell you everything aren't I?" She said frustrated but also resigned that she was going to have to start talking and answering our questions.

I nodded my head "It will help us care for you, it will help us keep you safe, It will help us know what to expect and plan for." I told her and she just watched me looking at me. Questions were flying across her face.

"Okay, I will answer your questions. I will tell you what you want to know under three conditions. One you both answer all of my questions, two you tell me what I want and need to know you hold nothing back from me, and three you don't judge or gossip about what I am going to tell you. You can't tell anyone." She said.

I couldn't agree to that. Most of the guys at Rangeman probably knew her story by now and while I didn't want to confess what we had found out I knew there would come a time when I would and only hoped that she would accept our reasons for doing it. I was beginning to learn this was a lot more complicated than I had originally thought.

"Babe how about we compromise on the conditions?" I asked her and her eyebrows furrowed. She wasn't necessarily happy about my request but I continued. "One I will answer all the questions I am able to answer. There are things about my life, my job that I am not at liberty to discuss with anyone. It can actually get me in a lot of trouble if I do. So anything other than those things I will answer. Two I will try to tell you everything you want to know unless it falls under what I just said classified information that I am not at liberty to share with you. Three you will never be judged, and far as gossip goes we don't gossip. The only other people we will tell are other Rangeman who will hold your secrets just as we will. But if it is something that they need to know to provide protection, or take care of you I need to be able tell them without breaking my promise to you." I told her.

She just looked at me with a little disbelief in her eyes. I could see how she was unsure if she could believe me on one hand yet on the other she wanted to believe me. She trusted me. I could see that in her eyes but with her life it was easy to see how trusting someone was difficult for her. She was struggling with it. I never intended to break a promise to her.

She finally nodded but I was certain there were going to be questions because of that statement.

"Babe you want to start with Bobby's question?" I asked her and she nodded and then shook her head no letting out a little sigh she began and I was glad we had finally gotten her to open up to us.

**SPOV**

Damn what had I gotten myself into? I was going to have to answer his questions. I wasn't sure if I could trust him. I wasn't sure I wanted anyone knowing these things about me. I was use to keeping things close and not sharing my secrets. I hadn't discussed any of this stuff with Mary Lou and she was my best friend the only real person I had ever trusted in my life and not been disappointed by.

I had avoided my parent's because I didn't want them to know. I had avoided Mary Lou because I didn't want her to know. Only to find myself here with people who I had only known matter of hours and barely knew anything more than their names and they were asking me to spill my guts about my private life.

On one had I felt as though I could trust them. I was drawn to Carlos unlike anyone in my life and I wanted to believe that I could trust him but so many times in the past that has never worked out so well for me. I had trusted others and they had always managed to let me down, and break my trust.

How was I going to look at them and tell them something so personal? I mean what you eat doesn't sound personal but when I tell them what I have been eating they are going to have questions and while I already told them I was broke and had no money I don't think they really knew how desperate my situation was and when they find out they are probably going to laugh and go running from the room as if their tail feathers were on fire. This isn't something they really wanted to know, and while Carlos was trying to convince me he was here because I had asked him for help he wouldn't be willing to help me once I spilled my guts; not that I would allow him to help me.

For him to help me he would have to pay my bills and I wouldn't allow that. I wouldn't owe him. I would rather owe my bills and never be able to pay them than not be able to pay him and let him down. In away if they did run through the door and never look back it would be a good thing because if they stayed I would only end up letting them down and disappointing them.

If I allowed him to help me I would only end up owing him more than I could ever repay him and I didn't want to be known as that kind of person. I didn't take advantage of people. Not that he really looked like the type that would allow himself to be taken advantage of. I didn't see him as the loan shark type either because a loan shark wouldn't be dumb enough to want to help me. They don't really want to have to break kneecaps to get their money. Not that they aren't capable of that but that isn't exactly what is lining the loan shark's pocket at the end of the day.

I took as deep of a breath my chest would allow fighting the pain it caused. I had paused all I could pause it was time to answer some questions. I only hoped I was able to ask a few as well.

I swallowed hard wishing I could have another drink of water just before Carlos put the straw to my lips. I sucked the cool liquid in greedily. "Babe easy, you can have all you want just drink it a little slower." Carlos said and I slowed down my intake.

"I have food coming for you, it should be here shortly." He said I nodded as my stomach took on a mind of its own and growled like it had never growled before. I found myself looking down at it. Almost in awe and a little embarrassed. I knew it was hungry hell I had been hungry for a month nothing was new on that front. I only thought I was able to handle it better than my stomach was acting at the moment.

"I guess my stomach is looking forward to the food you promised it." I said turning slightly red. I looked at Carlos it was now or never. "I haven't been eating because I don't have the money to buy food. I lost my job six months ago and haven't been able to find another job. I don't have money to buy groceries so I have been eating all that I have and I was down to a box of crackers. I was eating two crackers a meal and when I just couldn't go anymore without food." I confessed having turned my eyes away from either of them after the first sentence. Embarrassed, I didn't want to look them in the eye. I didn't want to see that look on their faces that I knew they would have; one of pity. I didn't need their pity.

I was glad I wasn't hearing the door open and close and their retreating footsteps, but I didn't need pity either. I wasn't sure which would be worse so I kept my eyes adverted until I felt Carlos touch me. I knew it was his touch because of the electric current that shot through my body when his fingers touched my skin.

He pulled my chin over towards him I didn't fight him even though I had the urge to pull away from him. He moved my face until I was looking at him. The first thing I noticed was he didn't have a look of pity on his face. Not seeing that I was able to look at him without trying to look away. Looking into his eyes I wasn't sure what I was seeing but it was a look I could get lost in.

I saw tenderness there and I couldn't help but think about the contrast between the man I was seeing before me and the man I saw when I had first opened my eyes. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes I wouldn't have believed it would be possible for both looks to come from the same man.

"Babe, Ella made something for you. One of my men will bring it here for you. You can eat as much as you want. If you eat it all and want more I will send for more." He told me and I found myself wondering who Ella was.

"Ella works for me. She takes care of my men and me by cooking and cleaning for us. She came here while you were still out and cleaned you up and dressed you." He told me. How did he know what questions to answer? I hadn't opened my mouth yet he knew I wanted water, he knew I had wondered about Ella and I am even sure he knew what look I didn't want to see on his face. How does he do that? I was too focused on how he did that to really question what Ella had done for me and why. But I would later.

"Babe" is all he added. I somehow thought he was adding that knowhow to the confidential information that he wasn't at liberty to tell me.

The door opened and in walked a big man that had I been alone in the room I would have been a little frightened of. He was huge. He was bigger than Ranger and Bobby taller, broader, bulker. His head was almost shaved but the scariest part of him was a tattoo. He had a skull with flames coming out of it on his forehead. It was a little intimidating if that was the look he was going for he succeeded. "Babe, this is Cal. He is a Rangeman." Carlos said.

I smiled at him. I figured even though he was big, a little scary, and intimidating a smile wouldn't hurt. He smiled at me and I saw his blue eyes sparkle. That single act caused me to no longer be intimidated, scared, or fear him however you want to classify what I felt when he first walked in. I smiled even more before speaking up. "Hi, my name is Stephanie. It's nice to meet you. Thank you for bringing me the food. I know it is late. Actually it is beyond late. It's an ungodly hour to make you come out to bring me food. But thanks anyway. I appreciate it." I told him. He smiled at my rambling. I just didn't want him pissed at me for him having to lose sleep to come deliver me food.

Carlos spoke up "Rangeman is run twenty-four by seven. You didn't wake him nor are you making him lose sleep. He is actually on guard duty tonight." He said. Guard duty. I looked at him and furrowed my eyebrows.

"Guard duty?" I questioned. I mean that sounded like something well a dog would do.

"I have two men at your door. They have been there since we got here. They stand guard and make sure only the people who are supposed to be in this room get in." Why in the hell would he do that?

"Why?" I asked him not really feeling like talking anymore than I had to at the moment as the pain was edging up from having been moved. I looked back at Cal who was watching me. I tried swallowing the pain a little bit but having moved to get in position so I could eat the food he had bought me was a little overwhelming and I found myself trying to hold my breath to push through it.

"Babe I wasn't sure what you needed help with. I wasn't sure if you were in danger and if so from whom. I got reports from witnesses on the scene that said it appeared as if you were running from something or someone." He said and my dream popped into my mind. I was hoping Carlos wasn't reading my thoughts now because I wasn't ready to tell him about that. I wasn't sure if it was something that really happened or just a dream and I wasn't going to share it until I knew it was real; if ever.

"Besides Bobby and I are in here and we can relax knowing someone is standing guard outside." He said and I relaxed a little bit more knowing that it wasn't all for me or because of me.

"Well I don't think anyone or anything is after me so if they are there for you that's fine but I don't think I need them for me. I can't afford to pay you for that." I told him. I looked at Cal and saw a twinkle in his eye. I briefly wondered what that was for but I managed to refrain from asking him. He seemed to like me and I wanted to keep it like that.

None of the Rangeman men I had seen so far were men you would want to met in a dark alley or piss off but so far Tank was the biggest and Cal was next and Carlos well I had seen him in action I wasn't willing to piss any of them off at least not intentionally.

Carlos had placed my food on the rolling table and moved it closer to me. With my good arm I was able to grab the spoon and start feeding myself some broth. Everything she sent was for a liquid diet but it was a whole lot better tasting than anything I would have been given by the hospital. Hospital food sucked. Besides I am pretty sure when you can't afford to pay they don't give you the extras like food it's just one more thing I can't afford to pay for.

When the liquid hit my lips I couldn't help the moan. It had been a month since I had eaten anything more than a cracker and even though it was just broth it tasted like I was eating the finest chicken dinner money could buy.

I greedily lapped it up like a starving animal. I even found myself begging for more. I am pretty certain I refrained from the panting and tongue hanging out but I am not certain if I gave them the puppy dog sad eyes or not. I may have been guilty on that level. But regardless of what level of begging it was my bowl was refilled so it had worked.

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	20. Ch 20: Apologies Come in Many Forms PT1

**Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! For those that have Private messages turned off that left Reviews thank you for the reviews! I love reading every one of them so keep them coming.**

**I want to Thank Margaret Fowler for encouraging this story out of me. When I mentioned it to you 6 – 7 months ago you didn't let it die in my head. You kept pressing for it so here it is finally being written! I hope it is everything you thought it would be.**

**Standard Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine. They belong to JE I just take them out of the box and play with them a little. I have begged to keep Ranger and Lester for myself but I have yet to get a response… **

**I want to thank you all for the support and understanding I have gotten with this story…it is incredible. I know no one liked having to go to every other day posting, including myself, but I didn't want to compromise the story with trying to push out a chapter a day now that things have gotten hectic. Hopefully when it settles down in a week or so I can go back to daily updates. At least that is the dream and goal. I hope you enjoy today's chapter!**

**Chapter 20: Apologies Come in Many Forms PT1**

**LPOV**

I had tripled timed it back to Rangeman. I was certain that regardless of what time I made it to Rangeman I would still be facing Tank on the mat. My jaw was still aching and I was certain that I would have a nice bruise come morning.

Didn't he know you didn't mess with the face? I guess it could have been worse. Regardless of what happened it could have always been worse. I had pushed his buttons and I was sorry for some of it. I hadn't meant for it to get that heated but I was trying to get him to understand he needed to walk away from her for us all.

I had found Tank and asked him to send Ranger a text which he had done. I was walking away from Tank when I heard Tank laugh turning around I looked at him. "Looks like we have fifteen minutes on the mats just the way I like it no holds barred." Fuck. No way was I three minutes over the time he allowed. Fucker.

I nodded because I didn't need a pissed off Tank. It was bad enough we were going to be going at it I didn't need him pissed in addition. This was going to fucking hurt. "When do you want to meet?" I asked him. He smiled.

"No time like the present." He said to me. Fuck, of course no time like the present let's get all proficient now and not waste fucking time I thought. Of course I didn't say that out loud I still wanted to have a body when he was done with me. I nodded and turned back towards the stairs heading to the gym. This day just kept getting better and better. Maybe I would luck up and Tank would knock me the fuck out so I would at least get some sleep tonight.

Tomorrow I was going to figure out how to apologize to Ranger's satisfaction while not really being sorry. That was going to be a challenge fooling Ranger would be no easy feat after all I haven't been able to tell him a lie successfully in years; if ever.

**RPOV**

I watched her eat hardly able to believe my eyes or my ears. She greedily drank the chicken broth Ella and sent. Watching her eat was both extremely pleasurable and painful. The pleasure came from seeing her eat. Knowing she had lived on crackers for a month and now she could only eat liquids was hard but at least she was able to have something other than fucking crackers.

I placed the bowl of Jell-o on the table in front of her when she had finished all of the broth. I would have found it humorous that when she emptied the bowl, for the third time, she actually picked up the thermos to see if there was more but knowing her state of hunger and the state of her body there was nothing humorous about it. It was empty. But if I had anything to do with it, it wouldn't be empty for long.

"Bobby when can Stephanie eat food other than liquids?" I asked.

"If she hold this down, and she doesn't have too much stomach pain from this then I would say her next meal could consist of some solids but we will stick with blander foods, no food that has excess fat. We will be adding protein and fat last as the body takes more to break those foods down but it will all depend on how well her body takes to the food." He said and I nodded.

"Tomorrow we will get her up and moving slow at first. Tomorrow and possibly the next couple of days she will remain in this room but by the third day we are going to want her walking more." He told me once again I nodded watching her. Her eyes letting me know her brain was processing the information but she wasn't necessary liking what she was hearing.

"Excuse me." She said and Bobby stopped and looked at her waiting for her say something.

"I haven't committed to staying. What part of I can't pay don't you seem to understand?" She said you could hear the almost disbelief in her voice along with irritation that she wasn't being listened to. I found it difficult suppressing the smile that wanted to break free at her pushing back against one of my men. I briefly wondered how Bobby would handle it.

He looked at me. I knew he wanted me to deal with it, to answer her but I was going to leave this one for Bobby. We sometimes had customers that didn't want our services yet we were contracted through a third person to provide those services so I sort of thought of this as a test.

He got the memo when I didn't speak up. I knew he was calling me a fucker under his breath and he was right, I was one. I just didn't want to be the one that had to tell her no or not give her what she wanted; ever.

"Stephanie" he started using her first name, that's right gain their trust by speaking to them as if you have known them their whole lives. That is psychology 101 he had to know more than that. "Ranger here has told you that Rangeman has an understanding with the hospital. I assure you, your stay here is covered." He said and her eyes got big as saucers. Asshole was putting the attention and the focus right back on me. I knew I would be the one who was left answering the big questions.

"What?" She asked her voice going up a whole octave. Her eyes snapped to mine and I could tell she was going to demand answers this time so I spoke up allowing Bobby off the hook.

"Babe Rangeman has an understanding. The nature of our business we tend to need the hospital frequently so we pay a monthly rate to them. Up to a certain amount it is covered." I explained to her.

Her eyes locked on mine. I saw questions fly by behind her blue eyes.

"I am not a part of Rangeman I don't fall under the agreement and you are not paying my hospital bill." She demanded once again getting worked up and I knew that wasn't good for her. I knew it would cause the pain to increase. I watched as she shut her eyes trying to fight the pain and I couldn't have been more in awe of her or admired her more. She had strength within her that most men didn't posses.

"Babe let's table this for now and let it continue the way we have it for now. We can work something out later if you want." I told her trying to get her to table the whole discussion about who was going to pay for what. She needed to stay in the hospital that was evident by the amount of pain she was in.

"Why?" She asked me and I once again wonder what she was asking me why for.

"Why, what? Why to table the discussion about paying the hospital?" She shook her head yes then no, which was it? It was very cute but a little annoying when you were trying to answer her questions.

"Why are you doing this?" She asked me here we were again. I looked up at Brown and flicked my eyes to the door and he barely nodded his answer he understood then he made an excuse to leave the room.

"Stephanie I am going to check on a few things I will be just outside if you need something." He said and she nodded as Bobby turned and headed out of the door.

Her gaze focused back on me and I was so drawn to her. I wanted to pull her into my arms demand her injuries heal and never let her go. The desire in me to hold her, kiss her, make love to her was overwhelming and I had to shake my head to clear those thoughts and focus on the woman who was injured, half starved, and who was lying in a hospital bed who needed my help.

"You want to know why I am doing this. I can't tell you why exactly. Well at least not all the details as it's confidential." I told her pausing bracing myself to admit what I wasn't really ready to admit to anyone and I could only ask that she not share it. Not demand it like I could if she was one of my men.

I could make them fear me. Fuck they already feared me but I would never make Stephanie fear me I never wanted her afraid of me. I never wanted her to see that side of me. She could know that it existed just never experience it. I had already fucked some of that up with Santos, who was going to pay for that. I was just glad I hadn't shot his ass or done anything more drastic than just knocking his dumb fuck of an ass out. Sometimes he just didn't know when to be quite.

I knew I was stalling but I wasn't really ready. I cleared my throat looking at her. She was looking at me I adjusted my chair stretched out a little my feet pointing in the direction of her head and my side close to her bed. I had her right hand in mine feeling the electric currents that were pulsating through my body at her touch. Something I had never felt from a touch; not that I touched many people.

"I am not one that usually helps people. I am one that usually thinks about Rangeman, my men, and me. When I was in the Army I also thought about the men I lead." I confessed to her. I figured honesty was the best policy here. She was quiet so I continued. "I ran missions for the government. They are confidential and that is about all I can say about them without serious repercussions that could have me serving a long jail time with the possibility of a death penalty depending on how much information was divulged." I told her and her eyes got wide I saw fear cross her face but I didn't think it was because of me as much as for me. I didn't draw attention to it though I wondered why she was afraid for me.

I continued. "My last mission was a complete disaster and it ended with me pulling my government contract." I wasn't sure if I should be sharing that part but I figured it gave no specific details other than I pulled my contract and that wasn't something that was necessarily classified secret information or at least I didn't think it was.

Her eyes remained locked on me intrigued by what I was telling her. "My helping you allows me to help someone that I failed to help. By you letting me help you it feels like I am somehow able to help her." I told her knowing that it sounded stupid. I fully expected her to tell me that she wasn't her and that my helping her wasn't going to change anything that I failed with the other woman. I mean that is the truth helping Stephanie here was in no way going to undo what I had done back in that building in that God forsaken hell hole of a country. But when I looked up at her I saw tears in her eyes.

At first I wanted to yell for Bobby to come with the pain meds that the pain had gotten too much for her but then I realized why the tears were there. I wanted to wipe them away I wanted to take back my words to keep her from spilling tears from those beautiful blue eyes.

"I am sorry." She said and I nodded. I needed to move, I needed to get off of this subject I didn't do emotions and my emotions were starting to stir. I needed to derail this train. "So will you stay and allow us to help you. Allow me to help you?" I asked her and hoping she didn't hear the bit of begging or vulnerability I was feeling in my words to her. She slowly nodded her head. I felt the relief flood through and out of me. I just hoped we wouldn't have to have this conversation anymore.

"I am ready for the pain medication. I can't take it anymore, I am exhausted." She said. I felt like she was saying this for me just as much for her but I think she somehow sensed I needed a break from talking and was going to allow us to drug her to sleep.

"Okay Babe, I will get Bobby." I walked to the door and notified Cal that he needed to get Bobby, that she needed her pain medication. Part of me felt guilty but the other part was happy that she had finally allowed us to help her, allowed me to help her and as far as who was paying the bill we hadn't really discussed that but I was hoping that would fall under the blanket agreement of allowing me to help her.

Bobby walked into the room and administered the medication it wasn't moments later that we were both asleep. Her in the bed, me in the chair beside her holding her hand and only wishing I was holding more than just her hand.

**LPOV**

I had another sleepless night but at least I didn't have dreams waking me up. So I guess all in all I slept a little better than the prior night. I knew today I would need to go to the hospital and apologize for my behavior. Part of me wanted to while the other part wanted nothing to do with the hospital or a particular beautiful curly hair woman who was currently staying there.

I quickly did my morning routine, gym, shower, shave, and checked out the control room. I was grabbing coffee in a to-go cup when Tank walked into the break room.

"Santos" he said and I nodded still sore from going a few rounds on the mats with him last night. He continued "Ranger just called she is awake and hungry. See Ella before you leave." I nodded. I had no doubt she was hungry she probably hadn't eaten in hours and she was already deprived before that. I nodded. Before I walked out of the break room Tank added "Ram and Bones" will be guards today they should be there by zero ten hundred." I nodded.

"Tank I will be a while. I need to apologize to her." I told him and he nodded. I could tell he was saying 'damn straight you do' by the look in his eye but he didn't say anything more. I nodded and made my way to Ella's apartment.

She had everything ready all loaded onto a cart. I couldn't believe my eyes. "You want me to take all of this?" I questioned her and she nodded. I could see at least three trips from the car to the room and that is with both arms carrying the boxes.

She spoke up "I have clothing for Ranger, Bobby, and Stephanie as well as additional toiletries they may need if they are planning on staying longer. I have their breakfast as well as breakfast for Cal and Zero who are guarding her room." She said and I nodded and briefly wondered if there was enough for me.

"Yes dear, I made sure there was enough for you. Maybe you could eat with Stephanie, apologize to her, and get to know her a little." She offered. How in the fuck did she know I needed to apologize to her? I briefly wondered not really surprised she always had that mom way about her of knowing why we were in trouble before we hardly knew we were trouble.

I nodded and took the cart from her loading it on the elevator to take it to the garage. Normally I would bring someone with me but I wasn't going to get left at the hospital and have to triple time it back to Rangeman if I fucked up this apology.

I pull out of the garage after having loaded the SUV down with all of Ella's goodies. I have no idea what I am going to say to her as part of me believes I was right in what I said but I knew enough to know I was going to have to come up with something.

I pulled into the hospital parking spot and grabbed a couple of the boxes carrying them to her room. When I got to her door I gave Zero the keys and sent him back to get some more boxes. I knocked on her door and waited for Ranger to tell me to enter. Upon entering I began placing the boxes on the counter.

"Hey man" I whispered as Stephanie was sleep. "I thought Tank said she was awake." I asked him and he nodded.

"She woke up briefly but then went back to sleep." He told me and I nodded wondering if something was wrong with her.

"Anything wrong?" I asked him and he pierced his lips and barely shook his head.

"Nothing new." He added and I nodded. Oddly I found myself relieved to hear that nothing else was wrong with her.

"Well I have a few more boxes. She sent you both fresh clothes and toiletries." I told them as I made my way out of the room to retrieve more boxes. I bumped fists with Cal at the door and passed Zero who was headed back to the room with boxes in his arms. He passed the keys to me as I made my way out.

Walking into the parking lot I walked right into none other than Joe Morelli who was still snooping around. Fucker just wouldn't give it up. "Lester, right?" He called my name unsure of exactly who I was. I stopped annoyed that he had seen me and caught me but I nodded.

"Where is Ranger?" He asked me and I stretched up to my full height, taller than him, to look down at him not saying a word. I wasn't telling him shit.

"I know he was involved in a car wreck two days ago and I need to speak to him. He hit Stephanie Plum who was injured and the rescue squad left with her. They supposedly brought her here but she isn't registered here and no one is able to find her. Her parents are worried sick." He said, like I gave a fuck about it.

"I have no idea what you are talking about." I told him as I went to walk past him but he grabbed my arm trying to halt me. I stopped not because of his hand on me because I wanted to rip it off of him and shove it up his ass for thinking he could touch me. I paused because I had an apology to deliver today or get my as beat beyond recognition and going to jail would definitely interfere with those plans.

"Your boss was in a wreck and you were on the scene and you have no idea what I am talking about?" He questioned me his voice sounding like he didn't believe what I was saying. I looked at him and then looked at his hand that was still holding my arm. He removed his hand it may have been the look in my eyes, the growl from my chest, or maybe the tension coming from me I am not certain which one made it through his thick skull but one of them worked.

"I don't know what to tell you man." I told him. As I continued to my truck secretly hoping that he wouldn't find her room today and give me a reason to have to give her another apology for killing a fucking cop. Fuck.

I grabbed the boxes and headed back into the hospital hoping to avoid him. As I walked in I once again spotted him at the receptionist desk and I was only hoping this one didn't know the true identity of Diana Prince. I walked past him hoping he didn't see me but if he did I would let Cal know to keep him out.

I made it to the room I was checking my six for Joe but so far it was clear. "Cal man, Morelli is on my six he is looking for bossman and Stephanie. Whatever you do don't let him in this room." I told him as I made my way into the room. Opening the door without knocking had me running head into a Glock being held by Ranger. Fuck. "Hey man." I said sounding a little annoyed. I looked over and sleeping beauty was still asleep.

He holstered the gun and then took a box from me. "Joe Morelli is still on the prowl. He caught me in the parking lot wanted to know where you were and where Stephanie was. He said she disappeared after the wreck and her parents were worried." I told him. He nodded.

He looked back over at her "Tell me again about her parents." He said. Fuck. I didn't know much about his parents.

"I don't know much but from what Mary Lou says she is close with her Father and Grandmother but her Mother that is entirely different. Mary Lou painted her mother to be a bitch. Snakes treat their babies better. According to Mary Lou, Stephanie here has been nothing but a disappointment and embarrassment to her mother since the day she born…well not really that far back. I think it started with Joe Morelli when he played some game with her when she was like six years old." I told him. He was taking in every word his eyes growing hard, black, and cold. He didn't like what I was telling him.

I really wanted to change the subject as I didn't need him already pissed off if I fucked up this apology to her. "Ella sent your breakfast, as well as enough for Stephanie, Bobby, Cal, Zero and me." I told him pointing to the boxes. He nodded. I went to fix a plate. I motioned for him and he shook his head.

"We wait for her she eats first before we do." He said and I nodded. I agree she needed it more than we did. We could go hungry or miss a meal if she needed or wanted it. I stepped back and looked at her.

"Has she eaten anything?" I questioned and he nodded.

"Ella sent stuff for her last night and she ate it all." He said sounding pretty happy and now I understood why we would wait to eat until she finished. I saw movement and she was beginning to stir in her sleep. Her eyes opened and blinked a few times and I found myself lost in the ocean blue of her eyes. So clear, so beautiful. She smiled briefly until she noticed me in the room and her eyebrows furrowed.

"Hi, I am Lester." I introduced myself and she looked at me smiling.

"Hi, I am Stephanie. Nice to meet you, I assume you are a Rangeman as well?" She asked and I nodded my voice not really working right now. Her nose went up in the air sniffing and I held back the urge to laugh. What the fuck. I didn't have urges to laugh at least not for a long time. I shook my head to shake it away.

Ranger spoke up "Babe, Ella sent more food. Are you hungry?" He asked her. I shook my head at the dumb fucking comment. I mean really? Who is going to ask a girl starving if she is fucking hungry? Of course she is hungry dumbass I could answer that question for you. Somewhere in my head I heard 'Can it Santos or you will find yourself back on the mats. By the way, how's the jaw?' So I calmed my thoughts; fucker.

She didn't have time to answer as her stomach answered for her by letting off a big huge growl. I found myself studying her stomach wondering how it was capable of such a loud noise. I briefly wondered if it was going to come through her skin to make itself known.

Ranger went about fixing her a plate and I couldn't help but think what the fuck had gotten into him? This wasn't the Ranger I knew, the Ranger I had worked beside, fought beside. Someone had cloned him or something. I mean this semmed worse than invasion of the body snatchers. It was his body but that was about it. I was beginning to wonder if this wasn't one of those face off things where we had been tricked by a look like. I know crazy thoughts but damn he was acting fucking strange.

'Santos, don't make me beat you like a lopsided dog and tell Rosa on you besides Bianca did like me more.' I once again heard in my head so it was Ranger that was a saying that we said to each other in our childhood one that we would only bring up if identity was necessary and Bianca well that was a name from our past and I was pretty certain she liked me more. She was the first and the last girl we ever fought over. We were in fifth grade.

He pushed the table over and adjusted her bed. I saw her bite her lip and crunch her eyes to fight the pain from the bed moving her. I found myself missing her eyes. When the bed stopped she sat there for a moment with her eyes closed trying to breathe through the pain and I couldn't help but admire her. I knew the pain she had to be in and I knew that was no easy feat.

Ranger had placed the tray in front of her and she had started to scoop up the food when we heard raised voices outside her door. Fuck, Morelli had found us. I looked at Ranger who was looking at Stephanie his hand on his gun.

I looked at Stephanie and I saw fear in her eyes as her eyes were locked on the door. I could sense the panic in the room it was palpable all coming from Stephanie. Ranger was reacting in the only way he knew to react and that was with force. He had both Glocks in his hands and both were trained at the door. Fuck this wasn't going to go down well. If that door opened whoever walking through it would be a fucking dead man. We didn't need this shit.

I didn't want to draw Stephanie's attention to Ranger because I knew that would cause her to become even more afraid. He wasn't the man right now he was the soldier and he was protecting what was his and she was clearly his. Fuck, on many levels.

I made it over to Ranger and stood just behind him so we could talk and she wouldn't hear us. Hopefully she wouldn't look our way until I could get him under control. "Man you need to holster your weapons if you fire them in this room you will scare her to death." I told him and his head turned slightly toward me but his eyes never left the door. I needed to try harder. "She needs you to convince her that she is safe here that she is protected and this isn't the way man." I told him and I could tell that wasn't working. Fuck. "Soldier, holster your weapons and take care of your woman." I told him my voice demanding and strong even though it was whispered so hopefully it wouldn't draw any further attention. That worked and he holstered his weapons and stepped closer to her side. He was still protective over her but hopefully now in better control of the monster within.

"Babe it's okay I promise you are safe, no one coming through those doors is going to harm you in anyway. I promise you that." He told her.

"Carlos why are they yelling? Who is out there?" She asked. So she calls him Carlos now? Damn I haven't known anyone to call him Carlos since before Ranger school. This was more fucking serious than I thought.

"Joe Morelli is out there. He wants to see you and talk to you. He says your parents are worried. No one knows where you are." I spoke up and told her. Her eyes left Carlos' and locked on to mine. I saw a flurry of fear, pissed, and disbelief flash across her face.

"Why is he looking for me? I haven't seen him since….in years." She was going to say something else but decided to refrain and change it. I briefly wondered what it was she didn't want to tell us. I knew Ranger or should I say Carlos was wondering the same thing. Again I heard a clipped 'Santos' in my head which made me decide to stick to calling him Ranger.

"Ranger, what do you want me to do? Clearly he knows." I told him. He nodded his head. I went to go to the door to open it only to be stopped by Stephanie.

"No." She said almost sounding panicked. I stopped turning towards her.

"I don't want him in here. I don't want to see him, and I don't want to talk to him." She said adamant that she wanted nothing to do with him and I knew there had to be more to this whole history and story that I had been told just by the sound of her voice.

I nodded. He wasn't getting into this room. I didn't even have to look at Ranger to know the look on his face. He was clearly telling me you let him in you're a fucking dead man.

I opened the door just enough to walk out without anyone from the outside being able to see in. I was met with a red faced, almost purple, Morelli. Boy this was going to be fun. I just hoped that if I got arrested Ranger would allow me to apologize later.

"What the hell are you doing?" I asked him anger welling up inside of me with the thoughts of the story that Mary Lou told me.

"I know Stephanie is in there and I want to be let in. Now!" He exclaimed his voice still hard, and loud. I smiled on the inside this was going to be fun. This fucker wasn't getting in the room at least not today.

**Tell me what you think…..leave a review!**


	21. Ch 21: Apologies Come in Many Forms PT2

**Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! For those that have Private messages turned off that left Reviews thank you for the reviews! I love reading every one of them so keep them coming.**

**I want to Thank Margaret Fowler for encouraging this story out of me. When I mentioned it to you 6 – 7 months ago you didn't let it die in my head. You kept pressing for it so here it is finally being written! I hope it is everything you thought it would be.**

**Standard Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine. They belong to JE I just take them out of the box and play with them a little. I have begged to keep Ranger and Lester for myself but I have yet to get a response… **

**I want to thank you all for the support and understanding I have gotten with this story…it is incredible. I know no one liked having to go to every other day posting, including myself, but I didn't want to compromise the story with trying to push out a chapter a day now that things have gotten hectic. Hopefully when it settles down in a week or so I can go back to daily updates. At least that is the dream and goal. I hope you enjoy today's chapter!**

**Chapter 21: Apologies Come in Many Forms PT2**

**SPOV**

I watched as Lester stepped out of the room closing the door behind him. I wasn't scared of Joe I just didn't want to see him; deal with him. I thought I had made it pretty clear when I hit him years ago that I never wanted him to come around me. He was nothing but a boil on the backside of humanity and I had my fill of him years ago.

"Babe, are you okay?" Carlos asked me and I nodded not really speaking up. I wanted to eat my breakfast but my focus was being drawn to the voices that were only getting louder on the other side of the door. I briefly wondered who was winning. I know how Joe can be when he wants something; he usually gets it.

I knew his Italian temper that may be the one trait from the Italians that we both inherited but that was as far as our similarities went. He was burg; hundred percent burg. To make matters worse he was a Morelli and I had yet to know a Morelli that didn't feel like in some way they were entitled to have whatever it was they wanted just because of their name. They were so entitled in fact they took without asking only assuming whatever it was they were taken would be freely giving no matter what it was.

I looked up at Carlos hoping he wasn't ESPing me at the moment. I briefly thought of needing some water to drink to see if Carlos would react but he didn't his eyes were trained on the door his face hardened his mouth drawn in a tight thin line. I found myself wanting to touch them. I wanted to feel his lips under my touch his breath on my fingers and hand. I found my hand reaching for him only to touch his arm which directed his attention towards me.

His face softening his lips loosening slightly as he looked down at me. My hand touching his hand I could feel the tension in him and I knew he wanted to continue concentrating on the door rather than me at this moment but I wanted him to look at me. I wanted him to relax. He didn't need to be this tense because of me, or because of Joe. If he came through the door I could handle him.

"Carlos it is okay. Even if Joe gets in the room it is okay. I can handle him." I told him a little more confident than I actually was. I wasn't afraid of Joe in fact I still carried a grudge toward him. I didn't like him, I didn't want to talk him, and I sure as hell didn't want him running back ratting me out to my mother. Something I had no doubt he would do the moment he left here. I could see her now raising a fuss so loud that it would send Carlos running. I looked up at him accessing him.

He was big, he was powerful, he was muscle bound, he looked dark, dangerous someone who should come with their own warning label. I could see under the right circumstances he could definitely be dangerous to one's health. I could only hope that it wouldn't end up being mine.

I was beginning to think he could hurt me in ways no one has ever hurt me including Joe Morelli.

Looking at him his eyes boring down into mine I couldn't look away. My food had been forgotten even though my stomach was impatient and demanding to be fed my brain wasn't listening. It was stuck on the man before me.

My fingers brushing his hand sent shivers throughout my body the current between us almost palpable, dangerous; like him. I am snapped out of my trans as something or someone bounces off of the room door. It moves like it was about to open but the latch catches and it holds. No one comes through.

Carlos snaps to action and leaps between me and the door his guns in his hands but down by his side. I blink trying to decide if I had seen what I had seen. His movements so fast, so stealth like and whisper quiet had I blinked I would have missed them.

"Carlos" I called him and he turned slightly toward me but wasn't taking his eyes off of the door. He backed up a little so he could appear to be giving me more attention than he was the door but I knew where his focus was.

"Carlos" I called him one more time hoping to snap his attention to me. He looked at me briefly and I smiled letting him know that I wasn't on the defensive. I wasn't afraid. I was a little afraid I would be lying if I said I wasn't but I wasn't afraid of him, and I wasn't really afraid of Joe coming into the room; not really. I knew I could handle him when I ran him over with my father's Buick I proved I was capable of handing him and extracting my revenge.

"Carlos I can handle this. If he comes into the room I am fine. I can handle him, trust me. I just didn't want to have to handle him." I told him and his head snaps to me his eyebrow quirks questioning my comment; not understanding.

"If he knows it is me in here, which he most likely already knows with the way he is going on out there. He will eventually give up and go get my mother and they will be back; both of them. Trust me none of you want to take on my mother. I don't even want to take on my mother. But regardless if he comes in the room or if your men keep him out it isn't going to stop the inevitable and that is my mom showing up." I told him. Resolving myself to the fact that one she was going to see me and two she was going to once again tell me how I have embarrassed her and disappointed her.

I guess I should be use to it, it is sort of par for the course at this point but I really didn't want to hear it. I hurt badly enough as is. I didn't need any more shit and especially shit from her about what I have been doing with my life the last six months. How I should find a man, marry him and let him take care of me and I wouldn't look the way I currently do. I didn't need to be told the obvious that I wasn't capable of caring for myself. That would be too close to the truth; too close to her being right.

"Babe my men can keep her out. She will only be let in if you say so." He said and I shook my head no. He may think his men could keep her out but I knew my mother and I knew she could be a hell of a lot scarier than the men I had seen so far including Cal with his intimidating flaming skull tattoo.

Ranger's lips quirked in a ghost of a smile, he had ESPed me. He thought it was amusing that my mom could intimate Cal to open the door. "Babe trust me when I say my men don't intimidate unless it is me doing the intimidating and they aren't going to let anyone in this room you don't want because then they will be forced to deal with me and they would rather…well let's just say not." He said changing what he had originally planned on saying.

I wanted to ask him what he was going to say originally but then I thought maybe that was one of those need to know things and I wasn't sure I really wanted or needed to know actually I was thinking I was pretty okay with not knowing at this point.

Maybe he did come with a warning label just not one that was easily seen or read. It was more along the lines of read what wasn't said, what was left out, the pauses. There is where the danger and the warning could be clearly heard, seen, and read.

**LPOV**

I stepped out of the room to a purple faced Morelli. He was currently in a standoff against Cal. I couldn't help but wonder how truly this stupid fucker was. Either he had balls of steel, which I didn't think was the case, or he was truly a dumb mother fucker. I was betting on the dumb mother fucker.

Cal was one of the biggest Rangeman next to Tank. Tank was the biggest. We were all badasses and we all knew our way around a fight. Cal was one of the best ranked right there with Ranger, Tank, Bobby, and myself.

Looking at Cal I could see he was ready Morelli had pushed him as far as he was willing to go. He looked calm, he looked collected, but you could tell by his eyes they were hardened, they were locked, he had his enemy in his scope and at this point Morelli was the enemy. You could see the Tattoo take on a different look one of anger, one of warning as it sort of looked to come alive glowing down at the little man before him.

Morelli wasn't really a little man but compared to Cal who towered over him at six five he appeared small. Cal had him by height, by width, by muscle, and by weight. I really didn't understand Morelli putting on the show he was for all to see. Cal could knock him out in one punch; one punch he would never see coming. Cal is x navy seal, lethal, and on a good day has a limit to the amount of shit he will take. Today he was at his limit. This had the potential of turning really ugly really quick.

"Morelli what seems to be your fucking problem?" I asked him allowing the irritation to be clearly heard in my voice.

"I know Stephanie is in that room and I want to be let in to see her. You said you didn't know where she was. I know she is in there and I know Ranger is in there with her." He said screaming practically demanding that I bend to his will. What he seemed to fail to understand is that I don't bend to other's well unless it is Ranger.

"I told you I don't know who you are talking about or where she is. The woman in this room name is Diana Prince that is all I know." I told him and he scoffed at my comment. He clearly didn't believe me. I didn't give a fuck. It wasn't going to change the outcome he wasn't getting in.

"You know that Diana Prince is a fake name even I know that is the alias Wonder Woman used." He said and I looked at him. Damn I didn't think he had it in him to actually know that little piece of trivia. Probably the once question he could answer in Trivial Pursuit.

"Morelli it may have been her alias or not I don't give a fuck about that but the woman in this room is Diana Prince, it's her name regardless of how it is attached to Wonder Woman go look it up on the registration of the room. As far as my boss is concerned I am not tell you where he is. That is on a need to know." I didn't bother with the whole you don't need to know part. He could assume that part as I was making it clear I wasn't telling him shit.

"What the fuck Lester? I know you are lying to me. I know they are in that room and I demand you let me in that room. I am a Trenton police officer, this is a public hospital and I demand you move and let me that door." He said his arms flying through the air as his voice elevated trying to show his worthless ass power that was more in his mind than anything actually enforceable.

"Morelli, that's where you are wrong on all accounts, look on the registration for the room it will tell you who is in the room. It is a public facility but if you check with the hospital you will see that this room is currently under the ownership of Rangeman as we have a contract agreement were this room has been rented to us for an undisclosed amount of time. So if you want to enter this room you need to come back with a warrant if you want in. Until such time you need to remember that this is a hospital and calm your voice as you are disturbing patience on this floor including Miss Diana Prince." I told him.

He stepped forward towards me like he was going to power his way through me to gain entrance. Proving what a stupid mother fucker he really was. I allowed him to step closer gaining speed when he was right at me I shifted leaving my foot in his path. He tripped and when he stumbled forward I grabbed his back and not so gently shoved his head into the door causing his head to bounce off of the door. That had hurt.

"Oh man you alright? You need to more careful there Morelli. That sounded like it hurt." I said as he grabbed his head. His eyes closed tightly to the pain that must be radiating throughout his head. I pulled him back careful to have my boot in his way once again letting go I watched as his ass hit the hard tiled floor not so easily or gently. "Damn man, you need to be careful." I exclaimed.

"You okay you need another hand?" I asked him and he shook his head no.

Cal spoke up "I think he needs another hand he can't seem to stay upright. Maybe he has been drinking this morning." He stepped forward as if he was trying to help but made sure to step on his hand that was flat on the floor. I even cringed as Morelli let out a yell that would have made a school girl proud. I couldn't help but shake my head. "Oh damn man I didn't see that." Cal exclaimed as he jumped off of his hand making sure his boot connected with Morelli's jaw.

Morelli fell back on the floor moaning. "You okay?" I asked him and he nodded even though I knew he wasn't okay. "You need any more help?" I asked him and he shook his head no. I had my hand extended towards him to help him up but when he refused I stood up and went to stand between Zero and Cal just to make sure he didn't decide to try to gain entry again.

He picked himself up off the floor and I couldn't help but notice how rough he looked. He really should try to fix himself up a little bit when he was out in public. He wanted to consider himself a player but looking like this he gave playboys a bad rep.

"This isn't over." He said and I just shook my head. Dumb mother fucker didn't understand it wasn't over because it never really began. We were just having some fun.

He turned to walk away. "Have a good day Morelli, I look forward to seeing you again." I said as he made is way down the hallway one hand rubbing his boo boo on his chin while he threw the other arm in the air as if to tell me forget it. I hadn't had fun like that in a long time. I was actually looking forward to more; stupid mother fucker.

I bumped fists with Cal who was smiling and Zero who was just standing beside the door never breaking position throughout the whole confrontation. He had done his job stayed focus while we dealt with the dumb ass. That way no one could slip in while we were distracted. "Good job" I told him. I knew Ranger would be proud.

I knocked on the door; I wasn't sure what state Ranger would be in when I walked into the room. I knew he would have heard the confrontation outside and I knew he wouldn't know necessarily who was going to be walking through the door. I would rather not end up getting shot today so I called out "Ranger man it is just me; stand down." I slowly opened the door second guessing if I should stick my head around the door or my leg to let him know it was actually me and only me.

I finally figured fuck it if he was going to fire on me the bullet would go right through the cheap ass door anyway so if I was going to die I was going to die and pushed my head around the corner to see him. He was standing beside her looking at me but completely calm. I noticed her finger running down his hand; fuck. She had calmed him.

I nodded to him walking into the room allowing the door to close behind me. I looked at her "he is gone for now. But he will be back." I told her and she nodded.

Looking at her I felt like now was as good of time to ask her a question as any. "What's the deal with him?" I asked her wondering if she would tell us anything. Ranger looked at me I could see it in his eyes that he wasn't happy and I briefly wondered why.

"Santos I believe you have something else you need to say before asking her any questions." He said his voice clipped, sharp biting at me. Damn. I sighed.

Looking at her, her eyes big bright blue completely beautiful I spoke before I was even aware I was speaking. "Beautiful" What the fuck? I shook my head trying to clear those thoughts. I needed to keep this professional and dethatched. I opened my eyes and again and was flooded with her beauty and thoughts of how beautiful she was and once again started by saying Beautiful. This time I decided to fuck it and just go with it. I would somehow figure out how to fix that shit later.

"Beautiful, I need to apologize to you." I told her and she shook her head no. "I do." I told her nodding my head to her.

"No, you don't." She said again adamant. I paused. She had no idea why I needed to apologize she had no idea what I was going to say yet she was telling me I didn't need to apologize. She continued. "You were able to keep him out that is all the apology I will ever need." That wasn't an apology.

"Beautiful" damn I was doing it again. "That wasn't an apology." I told her and she nodded her head disagreeing with me. Damn didn't most women like it when a man apologized to them? I mean it isn't often men apologize to women when they fuck something up. Unless they are married to them and have no other choice but to apologize or risk having their Johnson cut off in their sleep if they don't.

"It was enough of an apology for me. It was a favor that I won't forget." She told me. I knew what she meant but after hearing her say that I was more compelled to apologize to her. I had been wrong.

"Please Beautiful, I need to do this." I told her and she paused for a moment, thinking. She first shook her head no and then for whatever reason nodded her head; agreeing. I wondered what was it I had said that had made her change her mind. Ranger's eyes were fully on her but I knew his concentration was on my apology. I couldn't fuck this up.

"Beautiful I said some things before I had all of the information. I need to apologize for those comments. Even though they weren't to you, they were about you. I am sorry. I know now they weren't right that I was wrong in making them." I told her and I hoped she truly believed that I meant that. Her eyebrows knitted together in confusion.

"What comments?" She asked me. Fuck. Double fuck. I was going to have to tell her the things I said.

"Beautiful I said them before I met you obviously as I just met you, I said them because of things I learned about you and I put my own spin on the pieces of information I discovered and while it may not have been wrong for the average person. I was wrong because what I didn't realize you aren't the average person." I said and I briefly wondered where the fuck that statement had come from. It didn't sound like something I would normally say. That had the earmarking of something you would find in a Hallmark store and I was no Hallmark store kind of guy.

"What did you say?" she asked me her eyes boring into mine.

"I said I thought you were scamming Ranger here for the money." I confessed to her. Saying it now I cringed because just from the few minutes I have been in here and the few things she had said to me I knew that wasn't the case. She was too quick to let me off the hook. She had a way about her you could see and none of it was what my presumptions were.

She looked at Ranger, back to me, and then to Ranger. "Carlos did you think that is what I was doing?" She asked him and he shook his head no.

"Beautiful he never believed me. I don't remember this, but I think you saw part of it he actually knocked my ass out when I told him my thoughts, right there." I pointed to the spot in the room. Her eyes got big for a second looking at me.

"So that is why you have the bruise on the side of your jaw?" She asked me and I nodded. I couldn't help but think a well deserved bruise one I would give anyone else if they walked through the door spouting off the shit I had been saying. Holy fuck, I am a goner. Damn it I don't need this shit in my life.

"I am sorry." She said and I wondered why she was apologizing. I looked at Ranger and I could see the same thoughts.

"Why are you sorry?"

"Because…." She shrugged not finishing her sentence. It was like she was sorry but she wasn't sure why she was sorry or couldn't put words to it.

"It's all good Beautiful. Trust me if someone else came in here saying what I said to Ranger here I would knock them out faster than Ranger did." I told her confessing a little more than I meant to but once again my mouth had run away from me. Fuck. I really needed to get out of her. She smiled at me.

Holy shit she was beautiful when she smiled. That was something that I would never grow tired of seeing; her smile.

I noticed at some point during our conversation Ranger had taken her hand in his holding it. I knew what he was saying. He was telling me she was his. He had laid claim. I nodded to him letting him know that I got the message loud and clear.

"So Beautiful mind if we have breakfast with you?" I asked her needing to find another subject and she smiled once more nodding her head. I went to make my plate being highly aware of how much food we had and making sure she had plenty.

"Carlos, you going to fix you a plate?" She asked him and I caught the slight nod of his head as he let her hand go and followed me to the counter. I handed him my plate and stepped back letting him go first. I knew he would want to be by her side before me. I had seen his possessive side before. It had been a long time ago but I had seen it and I knew he was much more capable of fucking killing me now than he was then.

We sat down him in the chair beside her me on the foot of the bed facing her. We had just started to eat when she started with the questions. "So what were the things you learned about me?" She asked and I knew somehow I was going to land back in trouble by answering this one.

I looked at her and knew I had to answer them. I looked at Ranger and he gave me a infinitesimal nod for me to continue. I finished chewing the food in my mouth before talking elongating the inevitable. "Well I first did a back ground check on you. I then went over to your house and packed your bag with some clothes of yours as well as some toiletries. I then talked to your best friend Mary Lou, who is worried about you by the way and she made me promise to watch out after you." I told her and she smiled at that.

"She is a good friend." She said. I nodded.

She looked at Ranger "so you knew I was broke and couldn't afford to pay for this before I told you?" She asked him even though it really wasn't a question. He nodded his head. She nodded her head thoughtful but not saying anything. I found myself wondering what she was thinking.

"You knew that I was jobless, penniless, and yet you were willing to help me? Why?" She said and I watched as Ranger turned his head to the side studying her.

"I told you why." He told her and she nodded but I could tell she was trying to make sense of something that wasn't adding up in her head.

"But that was after I told you, and now I am finding out you knew all along and yet you were helping me." I was a little confused not understanding what it was he had told her and how what she had said had somehow changed anything. Something I wasn't following.

"Babe what does it matter? Nothing has changed, not really. You just told me what I already knew. I didn't want to tell you that I knew I wanted you to trust me enough to tell me on your own." Ranger told her and after thinking for a moment she nodded her head.

"From now on if you want to know something just ask me." She said and I couldn't help but smirk at the tone. I could tell she wasn't happy about us having snooped through her life but for some reason she was letting us off. She was over looking it. I was a little surprised and I chalked her doing that to whatever the conversation occurred between her and Ranger.

We had just finished eating when I thought I would bring up the conversation from earlier. "Beautiful you want to tell us the deal with Morelli?" I asked her and she looked up at me her eyes slightly duller the pain was getting to her.

"I would rather not." She said as she sighed and closed her eyes to the pain. I rather she would so we could be prepared because I had no doubt he would be back.

"Well maybe we can talk about it once you have rested a little. I am going to call Bobby and let him give you something for the pain. Rest now Babe." Ranger said as he leaned down and kissed her forehead. By the look on her face and on his that was a first. Fuck, I had to witness it.

Bobby walked into the room and pushed a needle into the port on the IV bag and it wasn't but a few minutes past that she was asleep.

I started to say something to Ranger but decided to refrain as I just found a chair and sat down. He was sitting beside her bed holding her hand while she slept. I was sitting there watching. I knew I should head back to Rangeman but something told me Morelli would be back and I wanted to be here when he came back. The thoughts no more left my mind before I once again heard elevated voices in the hallway.

This time I heard a woman's voice shrieking and I had no doubt if I didn't shut whoever that bitch was up it would wake up Beautiful. I was going to have to work on that name. I couldn't go through life calling someone Beautiful. Fuck. I needed the gym. I needed to beat that word out of my head.

Ranger looked at me "Her mom." He said and I raised my eyebrow at him questioning if he wanted me to let her in or turn her away. "Keep her out Santos. She has made it clear she doesn't want to deal with her mom." He said and I nodded. Making my way to the door I couldn't help but think this was going to be another fun run in with Morelli. That stupid mother fucker didn't know when to give up. Time to teach the dumb mother fucker a lesson I thought as I pulled the door of the room open and stepped through careful not to allow anyone on the outside to see anything or anyone on the inside.

**Tell me what you think….Leave a Review!**


	22. Chapter 22: On Your Side

**Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! For those that have Private messages turned off that left Reviews thank you for the reviews! I love reading every one of them so keep them coming.**

**I want to Thank Margaret Fowler for encouraging this story out of me. When I mentioned it to you 6 – 7 months ago you didn't let it die in my head. You kept pressing for it so here it is finally being written! I hope it is everything you thought it would be.**

**Standard Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine. They belong to JE I just take them out of the box and play with them a little. I have begged to keep Ranger and Lester for myself but I have yet to get a response… **

**I want to thank you all for the support and understanding I have gotten with this story…it is incredible. I know no one liked having to go to every other day posting, including myself, but I didn't want to compromise the story with trying to push out a chapter a day now that things have gotten hectic. Hopefully when it settles down in a week or so I can go back to daily updates. At least that is the dream and goal. I hope you enjoy today's chapter!**

**Chapter 22: On Your Side**

**LPOV**

I stepped out of the hospital room careful not to allow anyone from outside to see in. this was getting fucking old. I had about enough of this shit and the shrieking from the bitch in the hallway had already gotten under my skin tearing at my nerves like fingernails being raked across a chalkboard.

I suppressed a shudder.

If the bitch fucking woke Beautiful up I was going to find a way to shut her up possibly for good.

"My daughter is in there and I demand that you let me in that room to see my daughter. You can't keep me from my daughter, I am her mother. Do you hear me I am her mother." The woman screamed, who the fuck didn't hear her. People in hell could hear that bitch's shrieking voice. She wasn't a bad looking woman definitely had some characteristic of Beautiful but no way near as beautiful; ever.

She was heavier, she was shorter, and you could see it in her eyes she was bitter and cynical. She was demanding. But more than anything she was a bitch and you could see it by looking at her.

"Ma'am you need to stop screaming. There are patients on this floor who are sick and need their rest. You need to calm down or I am going to request that you be removed from the hospital." I told her. Her eyes wide her face slightly reddened by her anger.

"You would do no such thing young man. Who are you anyway and why are you in the hospital room with my daughter?" She demanded eyeing me as if she didn't trust me; good.

"Who is your daughter?" I asked her she sucked in a breath stood tall as if gaining her composure.

"My daughter is Stephanie Plum." She said her voice clipped with an air of I am better than you tone in it like it was beneath her to talk to me. What she didn't realize is I knew where she lived, I had seen her house and while I didn't do the whole judgment thing and it was an okay house as burg standards go it was nothing to my standards nothing of what I was capable of buying or especially Ranger. She had no idea who the fuck she was talking to.

I didn't do better than you shit. We all put our pants on one leg at a time from the richest to the poorest. Compared to her we were among the richest.

"Ma'am I don't know who told you Stephanie Plum is here but they are mistaken. The woman in this room name is Diana Prince. She is an employee of Rangeman and we are here as her body guards." I told her. She looked at Joe who I looked at and raised my eyebrow wondering if he was going to start his shit again. If he had come back for another go round or did he thinking bring the screaming shrieking bitch would be enough protection for him. Boy was he a stupid mother fucker. Typical pansy fucking coward thinking he could hide behind a woman. What he should have understood is we believed in equal opportunity it didn't give a fuck to us woman or man.

"Joseph here a long time friend of this family and friend of Stephanie's told me she is in there. He is a respectable Trenton cop and I believe him. I demand to see my daughter right now." She told me her voice sounding as though she wasn't going to take no for an answer. Was she sorely mistaken.

I didn't really give a fuck if she didn't want no for an answer she wasn't getting through this door not as long as there was breath in my body. Beautiful said she didn't want to deal with her, didn't want to see her, and she is now sleeping and I wasn't fucking up any of that. I was going to prove to Beautiful that I was on her side now. I was going to fight for her.

Besides I wasn't stupid I knew if they got in the room Ranger would fucking kill us all.

I pulled my head back putting my nose up in the air so I was looking down on them through my nose. I could actually do better than you if necessary and now was definitely one of those necessary moments after all.

"Joseph, huh?" I questioned and she nodded. I wasn't sure what Cal and Zero were going to do when they heard this and I wasn't sure what Stephanie would do to me for divulging this information but I couldn't resist. I would beg for forgiveness later and well if Cal and Zero ended up killing the two before me I would just assist in whatever clean up would be necessary. I just hoped there would be no witnesses. Witnesses always made things more complicated.

It was tricky getting someone to realize they didn't actually see what they thought they saw. It was always one of those slippery slopes where it was always better for all involved if it could just be avoided. That would prove difficult in these hallways with visitors, nurses, doctors, and medical staff.

I continued. "He is a friend of Stephanie's you say?" I question and watch her head bob up and down on her head answering me with a definite yes.

"He is the same Joe that stole her virginity on the Tasty Pastry floor when she was sixteen years old?" I asked and her mother gaped at me surprised I knew that. Joe's eyes widen in shock as well. Neither answered me so I continued. I heard Cal sharp intake of breath and I could since the coil within him. Oh fuck this may not have been a smart idea.

"He is the same Joe that proceeded to write about it all over Trenton in the men's bathrooms of every restaurant and gas station as to his conquest of her. It wasn't enough to steal her virginity on a nasty floor probably against her will but then he felt the need to write about it all over town. You say he is a friend of hers? Would Stephanie see him as a friend of hers?" I added and her mother further gaped surprised but knowledgeable that it had happened. She wasn't questioning Joe. She was questioning how I knew this.

Joe spoke up finally finding his voice. "Man she wanted it as much as I wanted it. I didn't rape her if that is what you are trying to say." I looked at him and I could feel my eyes hardening I could feel the anger welling up inside me. What was supposed to be me having some fun was turning into something far from fun. It was turning dark, it was turning dangerous and it was looking more and more like they wouldn't be walking away from this hospital alive. I needed to reel my anger in a little and remind myself I didn't have the whole picture.

Fuck that! I had the whole picture. I knew from the moment I saw her, the moment she spoke, the moment she didn't want to answer my question. I had the whole story and I was right. She may not have said the word no. She may not have asked him to stop. But she sure as fuck didn't encourage it, nor did she want it. If anything she was intimidated into it. That revelation did nothing for my anger but add fuel to the already burning rage within.

"Morelli I doubt that." I told him my voice hard, deep, and dark I continued. "If I were to ask her what would she say? What would she tell me? I bet she would tell me you raped her." I told him. I heard a gasp from behind me; Zero. I heard a growl from behind me and smiled; Cal. Oh stupid mother fucker you have done it now I couldn't help but think. I smiled at him and I knew it was a leer.

"Young man who do you think you are making those accusations. Joseph here is a police officer. He did no such thing. He and my daughter had sex but I assure you she wanted it." I raised my eyebrow her and turned my cold darkened eyes to her and I watched as her eyes grew large and she sucked in a breath; fear. I could smell it. Oh the smell, it is so sweet and within me a familiar being awakes one that hasn't been awaken in a long time. The smell of fear bringing him to life within me I felt the beings desire for more.

"Mrs. Plum what kind of mother are you?" I asked and she gasps grabbing her chest in feigned insult. My lips curl from her reaction. "You side with a man who fucks your daughter on a nasty floor and then writes about it across town as opposed to your daughter. You believe him over her." I stated not really questioning just making blanket true statements.

"My daughter never said he raped her. She never said it wasn't consensual." She retorted back at me as if I knew nothing.

"Did you ask her?"

She deadpanned me looking at me her eyes big her mouth hanging open caught off guard; speechless. I had my answer. No.

"What did you say to her? I know you found out about it you had to have found out it wasn't like you could visit a bathroom and not see it plainly spelled out." I asked her and she shook her head. She wasn't going to answer me she wasn't talking. Bitch didn't bother asking.

I turned my attention to Morelli.

"I know you raped her." I told him my eyes blazing as the fire within me grew along with the pure hatred I was feeling for the two standing before me. He shook his head; no. I could see a tinge of fear in his eyes he knew I knew. I knew his dark deep dirty little secret. The monster within me smiled and basked in the smell of his fear savoring every minute.

"I didn't but even I had statute of limitations are over on that. So if Stephanie wants to play that card and lie on me now by all means let her go for it because there isn't shit the courts will do to me. She should have said something when she had the chance. She didn't say anything then because I didn't rape her. She wanted it as much as I wanted it. She could have said no." He said and I couldn't help but think maybe, maybe not. I would find out as I felt and heard the monster within crack his knuckles.

"Morelli I know you did it. Most men who are innocent wouldn't feel the need to talk about statute of limitations of court systems. I realize you are cop but what you need to see and understand is that I am not a court, I don't have a statue of limitation and once Ranger finds out about this you will learn all too well neither does he." I leer at him hoping to drive the point home that he better not sleep too well.

I continue. "The best resolution for you is for you to walk away from here and never look back. If I were you I would also hope like fucking hell Ranger doesn't find out." I paused for a moment to further drive my point with him.

"You come around here causing a scene to have access to someone who isn't here and if she were she wouldn't want you near her. Someone who you raped, took advantage of and you have the nerve to bring her mother who for some unknown reason is on your side instead of her daughters. It's not Stephanie's room and we don't know a Stephanie but that doesn't matter. For the scene you have made here and for what I know about the situation I will gladly rectify that wrong and so will Ranger." I promised him and I watched as he swallowed hard. The blood draining slightly from his face as her mother stood there pale her mouth gaped open her eyes as big as saucers. Oh the monster within was happy.

"When I tell Ranger about this I promise you there won't be a place for you to run or a hole you can crawl into deep enough to keep him from hunting you down like the fucking piece of shit you are." I tell him as I watch the paleness turn to purple the anger is back and he foolishly lunges for me.

The deprived for action monster within me springs into action and before Morelli has a chance to complete his swing he is falling to the ground. He will be down for a while. My focus is back on her mother.

"Ma'am I suggest you collect him and leave, don't look back. Like I told you this is Diana Prince's room and I don't know your daughter Stephanie but if I did I would kick this fucker's ass for her." I told her.

"How did you know all that stuff about her if you don't know her?" She asked me. I smiled and she backs up from me.

"I read about it on the bathroom wall." I deadpanned to her no emotion, no feeling my face blank. She took another step back. I reached down grabbed Josephs hand jerked him towards her as he slid on the tiled floor my boot contacted with his face; that would hurt. I thrust his hand against hers. Implying what I wanted her to do. She gaped at me and I raised my eyebrow at her.

She swallowed but nodded her head and grabbed his hand tighter. He was no light weight but neither was she. She was fully capable of pulling him down the hall and that was exactly what she did.

"If she comes back do not let her in this room. In fact don't let anyone but Rangemen, and her medical staff into this room. Unless they are on the list of her medical staff they do not come into this room. Understood?" I told Cal and Zero and got a series of nodes from them. I walked away in dire need of some fresh air to regain my control.

Stephanie Plum, Beautiful, had not only managed to wiggle her way under my skin into my mind, into my heart, she had managed to wake the monster within me. This was not good. Now I am going to have to figure out how in the fuck to put him back in his box locked within me where he belonged.

She brought out the bad with the good. I quickly contemplated could I have one without the other and then decided those thoughts were deeper than I wanted to go. They were more Hallmark thoughts and I wasn't a fucking Hallmark kind of guy I was more of a guns and ammo kind of guy possibly a guns n rose's kind of guy but not some fucking sappy fucking hallmark moment guy. This was bad.

This was bad for my badass image, it was bad for my player status and it was going to wreck havoc on the playboy. Fuck. Next thing you know I will be crying over my fucking energy drink. I seriously needed some gym time. That one punch to Joe while enjoyable just wasn't enough he was such a fucking lightweight one punch and he was down. Fucking Pussy.

**RPOV**

I wanted to go out into the hallway and put my fist through Morelli. I would have my chance with him I would be sure of that. Hearing Lester's words fueled something within me that wouldn't go out not until I had exacted her revenge. I had righted that wrong and I would right it; my own way.

The monster within me smiled knowingly. I would get my way. I always got my way I made sure of it.

I wasn't leaving Stephanie alone in this room even to step into the hallway I wasn't leaving her; I couldn't. I wasn't leaving her while she was defenseless sleeping or in pain; fuck I was never leaving her regardless of the reason. Looking at her sleep even with the noise outside she hadn't stirred. For that I was glad I didn't want her waking up being scared by the noise outside her door. I keep her hand within mine and I felt her peace wash over me.

She had a calming effect on me one I couldn't explain. When she touched me the beast within me went still his drive for the hunt his thirst for blood forgotten. The beast stilled and I was able to fell the joy within of the touch of her affection. Her light touch that sent current throughout my body that electrified every nerve within my body to the point that it was almost overwhelming on one hand but had such a profound calm and peace on the other. Her touch put the demons, the monster that haunted my thoughts, my actions and my reactions at bay. It stopped them in their tracks.

I wasn't sure how to think about the reaction she caused within me. It wasn't something I had ever felt before and I knew it was something that I would never feel again. I needed her. I wanted her. I wanted her to want me and need me as much as I wanted and needed her. I wasn't deserving of her but I wanted.

My fingers playing with her hand as I stared at her my thoughts ran wild with the possibilities and what ifs of a life that I never expected to be able to call mine. I shook my head knowing that it wasn't possible yet wanting it more than I had ever wanted anything in my life. I knew I would be willing to give everything to have it yet I also knew there was nothing that I could give to get it.

Frustration started to well up in me as the want and desire grew for something that I knew was the impossible for me and my life. Something I never wanted yet for some odd reason with her I did. I shook my head to cast out those fruitless thoughts. Fuck I needed something to occupy my mind. I picked up my phone and texted Tank.

'change of shift send paper work' I could keep myself occupied while she slept. I go and fish out my laptop from the packed bags. Sitting back in the chair beside her bed I open my laptop and logon to my email.

It's the first time I have been in my email since my mission and I can't help but shake my head at the thousand plus emails I have to filter through. Well I needed something to keep my mind busy so it wouldn't focus on things I didn't want to think about.

I pulled up an email that has sparked my interest. Why is he sending me email?

To: Ranger

From: Handler

Subject: Contract

Ranger,

Just because you walked out of the meeting doesn't end your contract with us. You have a contract obligation to fulfill we will be calling on your services. This isn't over not as far as we are concerned.

P.S. you are lucky the general isn't filing charges against you.

Fuck. I forwarded the email to my attorney telling him to make this go away. I was out. I replied to my handler.

To: Handler

From: Ranger

Subject: Contract

Fuck you! It's over. Pushing the issue isn't the smartest move.

Ranger

Frustrated from the email I no longer had a desire to read anymore. Closing the laptop with a bang I felt the need for action. I needed to burn this adrenaline off. I stood up stretched. I moved my arms around in circles to get the blood flowing in my arms and shoulders for a few minutes before I walked over to the counter. Dropping to the ground I pushed of a few dozen pushups. I then elevated my feet on the counter and pushed off a few dozen more until I could feel the burn deep within the muscle tissue of my shoulders and arms.

It wasn't enough to ebb away the frustration I was feeling from the email. They were going to fuck with me. They were going to fuck with the wrong man. I didn't play their shit.

Dropping onto the ground I started grinding out sit up after sit up. This fucking shit was easy I really needed a hang bar. Looking around the room I looked for anything to hang from but there was nothing. One it had to be high enough off of the ground and two it had to be able to hold my weight. There was nothing in the room that would work.

I elevated my legs in the chair it would be a little better but still not good enough. At some point I was going to have to run but that would require leaving her and I wasn't ready for that. Clearing my head I restated to myself that she wasn't ready for me to leave her. She was still vulnerable and needed to be protected if from none other than her mother, a squawking bitch, and that fucking cop Joe Morelli what a pain in the ass.

With each sit-up a plan was forming. I would figure out how to make everyone who had hurt my Babe pay. I was going to have to think more about the 'my Babe' part that wasn't something I was really willing to let others know. I didn't do attached everyone knew that. I was going to have to find a way to now convince myself of that. It was pretty clear that with Stephanie I wanted attached.

Frustration filling me as the whole subject reared its ugly head once again and I decided to open the laptop and try to focus on work. Getting Rangeman work done.

Opening my email again I am once again overwhelmed by the email. Fuck sometimes it wasn't so great being the boss. I looked through the emails scanning them deleting the ones that I could see Tank had taken care of. I replied to a few that I felt like needed a reply.

Bobby's email of annual exam schedule was going to have to be put on hold. He needed to remain in Trenton until Stephanie would no longer need him. I was hoping she would agree to Bobby being her physical therapist. He was the best and I trusted him with her. I knew he wouldn't push her too hard yet he would make it challenging enough that she would have a full recovery. She had some areas where there could be issues for the future and I wanted to make sure they were all addressed appropriately.

I sent him an email letting him know he would need to reschedule but I suspected he knew that already and had handled it.

I looked up at her stirring and I couldn't help the frown that came over me. It hadn't been that long since she had been to asleep. She couldn't be resting well. I wondered if it was pain that was making her restless of if it was more thoughts of that fucking cop and her mother invading her sleep. I shifted the laptop and my legs so I would have better access to her as I reached and took her hand. Her fingers wrapped around mine grasping my hand in her semi sleep state and I couldn't help but smile.

She calmed and as my fingers played with her hand I briefly wondered if she knew it was me. If she knew I had her hand. If holding her hand had the same effect on her as it had on me. Deep inside I couldn't squelch the hope that it did.

**Tell me what you think….Leave a Review!**

**With Monday being a Holiday the next update will be Tuesday next week. There will still be three updates next week so you won't lose an update!**


	23. Chapter 23: A Conversation

**Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! For those that have Private messages turned off that left Reviews thank you for the reviews! I love reading every one of them so keep them coming.**

**I want to Thank Margaret Fowler for encouraging this story out of me. When I mentioned it to you 6 – 7 months ago you didn't let it die in my head. You kept pressing for it so here it is finally being written! I hope it is everything you thought it would be.**

**Standard Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine. They belong to JE I just take them out of the box and play with them a little. I have begged to keep Ranger and Lester for myself but I have yet to get a response… **

**I want to thank you all for the support and understanding I have gotten with this story…it is incredible. I know no one liked having to go to every other day posting, including myself, but I didn't want to compromise the story with trying to push out a chapter a day now that things have gotten hectic. Hopefully when it settles down in a week or so I can go back to daily updates. At least that is the dream and goal. I hope you enjoy today's chapter!**

**I hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day!**

**Chapter 23: A Conversation**

**SPOV**

I woke startled, not sure what woke me. I felt a hand touch my hand and I instantly knew it was Carlos from his touch. I didn't have to look. I looked around the room trying to focus on what had jolted me from my sleep. The lights were low. No one was in the room with the exception of Carlos. Why was he sticking around? Why hadn't he left? Surely he had better things to do than sit around in the hospital room of a girl he didn't know.

Why? Why would he stay? My mind was too fuzzy from sleep and being startled to really focus on one thing let alone figure out mysteries, like the man staying with me. I had agreed to allow him to help me. I chalked that up to a moment of weakness when the pain was too high to tolerate added with what he had told me that made me agree.

I felt he shared a piece of his soul with me that he had never shared before even in telling me reasons for wanting to help me. It wasn't that I couldn't use the help. It was more that I hated to have to depend on it, ask for it, or need it. I hated that at twenty-nine I needed help. I was independent I didn't want to find myself dependent on anything, anyone.

I tightened my hand around his, welcoming the feel of his hand holding mine; his skin touching mine. He was looking at me but he didn't speak. I just stared back into his eyes. His eyes looked old for his age. They had seen too much. They had lived a life that many never dreamed of, I could see it. I found myself swallowing shivering at the thoughts of what true horrors those beautiful dark eyes had seen.

I found myself studying his face. I wanted to remember him. Once he had helped me would he walk away? I certainly wasn't the woman a man like this would desire. I was barely average on a good day and the past six months hadn't been good days. I knew it was crazy thinking. I reminded him of someone he failed to help. In his mind I was a way to fix it. That was all nothing more. I shouldn't expect anything more, but I couldn't help the desire for more growing within.

"So you ran a background check on me?" I asked him not really a question more of a statement but for some reason sounding more like a question.

He nodded. I couldn't help but think now would be a good time to speak up because the more I thought about it the madder I was getting. The feelings of having my privacy invade ebbing their way in fueling me. I could tell he wasn't going to elaborate so I thought I would push him further to see if I could get him to cave into telling me.

"Why?" I prompted him. He looked at me. I could tell at first he didn't really know how to answer the question. He wasn't use to people asking him questions.

"Babe, you were unconscious. You had asked me for help and I didn't know why. I wasn't sure if it was because of the accident or if there was another reason. I couldn't shake the feeling it was another reason so I had Lester do them to find out if and what the threat was." He told me. Hearing the words threat so he was trying to protect me? Protect me from what? What would make him believe I needed protection? Exactly how was he going to protect me?

Looking at him I already knew the answer to how. He looked dangerous. I had no doubt that he couldn't look scary. He was big and strong and you could look at him and know he was more than capable that was before taking into account the various weapons he had strapped on him. I had seen two guns and at least one knife I had no doubt that there wouldn't be more. I shivered at the thought.

"What are you thinking?" He asked me his eyes never having left mine. He had seen my shiver and he knew he was the reason.

"You protecting me." I told him.

"What about it?"

"Well nothing really, just wondering what made you think I needed to be protected?" I questioned him and I saw his eyebrows quickly rise and lower. Unable to actually see what he was thinking other than a little surprised I had asked him this.

"I don't know Babe. I just felt the need to protect you. It's not a feeling I have experienced much in my life. My instincts told me to protect you. I listen to my instincts." He told me. I nodded storing those little tidbits away for later.

"Babe, you were running from something when you pulled in front of me. Those that had witnessed it said you were looking behind you as if you were running from something. Do you know what it could have been?" He asked me and I thought for a moment trying to will myself to remember that day. I remembered nothing.

I finally relented and shook my head no but added "I don't remember anything; yet." I told him.

"Well Babe then how do you know you don't need me protecting you?" He questioned and I couldn't help but think touché. I turned my head to the side and nodded slightly letting him know that I was giving him that one.

I had to come up with more to ask him.

"What did you learn about me on your background check?" I asked him. From the look in his eyes I would say I just put him on the spot and made him uncomfortable. Good. After a little time possibly seconds or minutes he had yet to say anything. He was just staring at me his eyes accessing me.

My thoughts went to how truly beautiful he was. He was a complete contradiction a man of opposites. Beautiful yet dangerous to the point I think you could label deadly. Obviously he was capable of caring but yet so hardened by life. I was pulled from my thoughts when he spoke.

"You lost your job six months ago, you hadn't found employment, and your credit cards as well as your electric have been turned off." Fuck they cut my electric off? I don't remember that.

"They cut my electric off?" I questioned and he nodded his head. Oh well might as well it wasn't like I could afford the bill. It's just another bill to add to the pile that isn't going to get paid. I shrug my shoulders and pain shoots through me to the point I have to close my eyes to gain control of the pain that movement caused.

"You need more pain medication?" He asked me his voice soft with a hint of something that I couldn't put my finger on. I shook my head no. I wanted to stay awake I didn't want to be drugged and fall back into dreamland. At least not yet, I had this beautiful man talking I wanted to keep him talking.

"Anything else?" I asked him. He pulled his head back turning it slightly readjusting himself in the seat this was really an uncomfortable subject for him. One he wanted to avoid. Why didn't he want to tell me? This was stuff that he had found out about me. Why didn't he want to share it with me? I should be screaming mad he had invaded my privacy. I should be screaming yelling at him ready to take him down but I couldn't bring myself to be that mad at him.

Feelings of anger would wash over me but quickly dissipate when I looked at him. His words echoing in my head reminding me this was his chance to right a wrong. A chance I wanted to give him but at what expense? It wasn't that I wasn't willing to pay it was more of would I be willing to accept what he wanted to do for me.

"Well besides where you live, your immediate family names and addresses that is about it." He stated but I knew the 'that is about it' was a whole lot more than the little bit it was made to sound like.

"Lester said that he talked to Mary Lou. How did he get her name?" I asked him.

"You listed her as an emergency contact."

"Lester went by my house, how did he get in?" I asked him and he just tilted his head to the side not answering me but looking at me with a look that said 'how do you think'. I nodded understanding that he let himself in. He broke into my house. I felt the anger swell again but that was all before it was gone.

Part of me wanted to latch on to the anger and asked him how dare him to invade my privacy to break into my home and what made him feel like he was reasonable in doing these things. What made him think that this was acceptable? But the other part of me wouldn't listen, wouldn't grasp on, and focused on allowing him to right that damn wrong. A damn wrong that I had nothing to do with no part of I just happened to look like the woman. Yet looking in his eyes I knew he needed this and I knew I needed him to need this.

"Babe, can I ask you something?" He asked me hesitantly and I nodded.

"Lester said that your home was baron save a table and chairs and an air mattress in the bedroom. Even your closets were practically empty." He said and I wondered where the question was? That was a statement not a question and I debated on if I should answer the implied question or force him to ask me an actual question. I know bitch move but at the moment I was stuck between my anger and an unfound compassion for a man that appeared to need my help as much as he thought I needed his.

"You want to know why I have no furniture, barely any clothing, or shoes." I stated knowing what he wanted to ask but just wasn't sure how to ask it. He nodded his head.

"I sold anything and everything I could so I could pay as many bills as I could. The reason I am on the air mattress is because when I sold my bed the people paid me extra for my mattress and I couldn't turn down the extra money so I sold it along with my bed. All the other furniture I sold as well. I kept the table and chairs because they belonged to my grandmother and hold special meaning to me and I was trying to hold on to them. But after this I will probably have to sell them." I confessed feeling the tears prick my eyes at the thought of the things I had been forced to sell and now something for me that actually held value beyond dollars.

I blinked my eyes holding back the tears I didn't want to let loose of. I didn't want him to see me cry. I was already exposed and vulnerable enough or so it felt I didn't need to add my crying to the list.

"Lester talked to your neighbor; she came over to your house when he was there. She told him you had plans to move across country. Are you planning on moving?" He asked me and I hung my head blushing. Why I felt like a fifth grader getting caught cheating on a test I wasn't sure but that was the feeling that washed over me. It had been a lie and it was like now I was caught.

"I lied. I wasn't planning on moving though I doubt I will be in the house pass this month as I can't afford the rent but I didn't want anyone to know why I was selling everything. I told them that I was moving and would buy new when I got where I was going because I didn't want to haul it across country." I confessed to him. Why did I feel like such a bad person for having to confess to a lie? People lied all the time. Hell I have lied before, I wasn't above it. Maybe I had just never had the experience of someone calling me on one of them.

I couldn't read what he was thinking; his eyes were giving nothing away. I half expected him to get up and walk out the door deciding that I was too much trouble even if it was his chance to right that wrong, it wasn't worth it. Whatever wrong it was it couldn't have been worth having to deal with helping me to right it. I am sure the sentence he would get for whatever it was that went wrong would be a hell of a lot less trouble, less work, less money than his desire and need to help me.

I wanted him to stay, I wanted him to help me but part of me wanted him to help me my way of which I wasn't sure. I just knew that I didn't want him leaving me, leaving this room. I wanted him with me. I felt an urgent need to touch him to cement him to me and I had to take a deep breath to gain control of those feelings. I didn't need those feelings. I didn't need to deal with this in addition to everything else.

I didn't need these feelings because I knew in the end it would be my heart that would be ripped out when he walked away. He was different than most men. He wasn't someone I could be just a friend with and it not rip at my soul. He wasn't someone I could just give a friendly hug that says hi, I missed you or good seeing you. He was different. He was dangerous for me.

He was the man that once my arms wrapped around him I would never want to let go. He was someone I wanted to feel holding me, me leaning against him letting him take my weight while encompassing me in his strong arms. He was someone I wanted holding me to take the worries of the world off of my shoulders if not for those brief moments when I would find myself in his arms. He was someone who was dangerous for me. Someone who could hurt me on a profound level, one I never knew existed.

"Why didn't you go to your parent's for help?" He asked me.

I shrugged my shoulders and once again turned my head away from him embarrassed. It seemed the logical solution. It seemed the thing one would do if you had parents that lived nearby. It is what I should have done.

"I don't know. You haven't had the pleasure of meeting my mother. " I told him and something flashed by his eyes that I caught as his eyes flicked to the door and back to me almost involuntary. Had he met my mother? Had she been here? No. She hadn't been here if she had been here she would still be here. She wouldn't leave here without seeing me and getting her chance to tell me about her embarrassment and disappointment.

"I could have gone to my father or my grandmother for help but my mother would have found out about it. I didn't want her to know. I didn't want to hear how I had become an embarrassment and a disappointment to her again and how I needed a man to take care of me." I confessed to him. It seemed like an odd confession as I was now sort of depending on him to take care of me because he had managed to get me to agree to him helping me.

"I wanted to prove her wrong. I had done well for myself up until I was laid off. I wasn't rich but I managed to have what I needed, some of what I wanted, and a little savings. I was hoping to find a job and get myself back on my feet." I confessed to him.

"Babe you were living off of saltine crackers. Your body was being starved." He stated and I nodded.

"It was gradual so I didn't really realize how much I was losing. I knew how hungry I was but I figured once I had a job that would get better too. I figured I could hold out. Then when I got to the point that my clothing hung on me I didn't want any of them to see me. So it was another reason to stay away." I further confessed. His eyes softened the look on his face I couldn't place another contradiction to the man.

"Babe, your mom was here with Joe Morelli while you were sleeping." He stated and I fisted my hands in the covers on the bed. What?

"W..Whhhatt?" I stammered out. Where was she? I looked around the room wondering if there were any hiding spots she might jump out of. I took a breath and I realized it was a shaky breath the adrenaline jolt caused the pain level to increase as my heart was thundering to the news I had just been delivered.

"Babe, calm down its okay. They didn't get in to see you. In fact I doubt if they will be back. Lester handled them. If you want to call your mother to tell her you are okay that is fine but I doubt if they will be back unless you want to see them." He told me I saw something flash before his eyes anger maybe, fear possibly not really sure as it flashed so fast.

I shook my head; no.

I don't want to talk to her; I don't want to see her. I don't need her in addition to everything else I have running around in my head. I am trying to get my head wrapped around allowing myself to be helped in order to help someone else. That alone is causing enough stress and confusion within me as I am not typically one that accepts help openly and willingly I don't need my mother adding to it.

I think about my dad and I am instantly consumed with guilt. Carlos had said they didn't know I was here. No one knew I was here. I knew he would be worried and I hadn't thought about that until now. Guilt flooded through me. Of course they would have heard about the car wreck. Of course they would be concerned that I was hurt. Of course they would want to see me.

"Carlos?" I said to draw his attention. I didn't need to draw his attention as his eyes hadn't left mine. "I need to call my dad. He needs to know that I am okay. I am sure he has worried. I hadn't really thought about him until now." I confessed saddened that I hadn't thought about him sooner.

He nods but doesn't say anything. I search his eyes but there is no judgment there and I allow myself to relax more.

He hands me his cell phone. "Babe they can't trace this phone." He tells me and I nod. I can't help but think why would they trace a cell phone? I mean I didn't see my parents tracing a cell phone. I decide I am hurting too bad to further those thoughts and focus on calling my dad.

Typing in the number with my good hand, dad answers on the second ring. His tone a little reserved. He has no idea who is calling. "Hello".

"Dad?" I question even though I know it is him I know his voice anywhere, anytime. I may not know everything that happened the day of the accident but I know my dad's voice and tears spring forward. I am surprised by the stinging of my eyes and I fight hard by batting my eyelashes fast to keep the tears at bay.

"Pumpkin is that you? Where are you? Are you okay?" He says talking fast spewing questions off one after the other not giving me time to answer in between. I wait for him to stop before I start to answer him.

"Dad I am fine. I am somewhere….safe." I say looking at Carlos I know that isn't a lie I am safe if nothing else if they kept mom out of my room I am definitely safe. "I was involved in an accident, you may have heard. I have some injuries but I am being cared for extremely well." I assured him.

"Pumpkin how long will you be where you are and when will you be by to see us?" He asked me and I close my eyes. This is the hard part. Part of me wants to say I will come by as soon as possible because I am anxious to see him and Grandma but the other part wants me to say never because my mom will be guaranteed to be there. I didn't want to face her like this. I wanted to face her when I could show her I was right and she was wrong. Right now all I would do is prove her right.

"I don't know dad. I have no idea how long they are going to keep me here." I confess and it is the truth I hadn't heard.

"I just wanted to let you know that I am okay. I will talk to you soon. I have to go now." I told him. I knew I could talk longer but I really didn't want to. The pain was getting to a point where I wouldn't be able to hide it in my voice and I didn't want my dad hearing pain in my voice. It would just cause him to worry for no reason.

"Pumpkin I love you. Please call me if you need anything." He says and the tears once again sting my eyes threatening to burst through. I nodded my head and then realized he couldn't hear me so I answered.

"Okay Dad. I love you too." I told him hanging up the phone I closed my eyes holding the phone not handing it back to Carlos or looking at him until I had once again gotten the tears held at bay where hopefully they will remain.

There was a knock at the door and Carlos was on his feet. Stepping between the bed where I was lying and the door. Clearly blocking whoever was knocking on the door from me. Carlos' voice was terse and on edge "Enter". I saw his hand close in on the handle of his gun ready to draw. The intensity of the movement the moment told me even more the dangers of the man who was so willing to help me. I couldn't help but think yet another contradiction.

The door opened as I heard Bobby's voice "Ranger man it's just me checking on our patient." He said and I couldn't help but smile our patient. Was I their patient last I knew I was the hospital's patient. He walked into the room Carlos relaxed and bumped fists with him. An act simple in its own right but it wasn't lost on me that I bet he didn't just bump fists with anyone. Would he bump fists with me I briefly wonder and when I heard laughter and saw Bobby trying to hold back I knew I had spoken that out loud.

Carlos looked at me and I saw a wolf smile on his face "Babe I will bump fists with you on any given day." He told me but I had a feeling that statement went well beyond fists and I couldn't help but hope that one day that promise could be cashed in on. Nothing more was said so I must have succeeded in keeping my mouth closed through those thoughts. Thank God. I was embarrassed enough I didn't need to further embarrass myself.

Bobby spoke up "Stephanie how are you feeling?" Hurting like a mother fucking bitch is how I am feeling. I watch as Carlos' lip twitches.

"Fine." I say.

"Think you want to get up and see if you can take a few steps to get moving around a little bit?" He asked me and the only thing I could think is of was. Yeah no, I am good lying right here, thank you very much. Carlos' lip twitches again. I am all of a sudden thankful for Ella who had dressed me at least my ass wouldn't hang out behind me.

"Okay." I say.

"We will go slowly. I will be right back with some crutches. I will show you how to use them when I get back." Bobby told me and I nodded thinking take your time I got all day, really.

"Okay." I say.

He meant it when he said he would be right back he literally opened the door stepped through it and then opened it and came back in with crutches in his hand. I narrowed my eyes at the evil things. Metal crutches with little holes to adjust the length and the handles. I watched as Bobby expertly adjusted them and I had no doubt they wouldn't be right for me. I still didn't think this was the greatest idea.

"Stephanie how is the pain?" He asked me. Defcon eight if you must know I think I need a pill to stop the hurting, better yet knock my ass out please so I don't have to do this so I don't have to use those evil things. This took coordination, coordination I didn't have on a good day this had the potential for disaster written all over it.

"Okay." I say.

What was up with the one word answers? Bobby walks into the room and I lose the ability to speak, the art of language. The words escape me leaving me with only one word Okay how about the word No couldn't I be left with that word that was a perfectly respectful word right? I mean maybe a little overused in some cases but in my case right now I would be grateful for its use.

"Ready, Stephanie?" He asked me and I thought like right now would be a perfect place to use that word.

"Okay." I said.

"When you walk on these, do not allow the pad at the top to press into your underarms." He states what a minute I thought they were supposed to press into your underarm I mean that's what you did right? He continued on. "It can cause nerve damage and with your broken arm you will only be using one anyway." He said so I was going to use one crutch not two? But I had a broken leg as well. How was this going to work? I could tell, you it wasn't.

I could see the highlighted version now Stephanie Plum has fallen and she can't get up. I saw Ranger's lips quirk in a smile a laughter escaping his lips and I realize I have spoken that part out loud. Shit.

"It will be okay, we won't let you fall. I promise. We are going to help you get up now." He states and once again I find myself fishing for that word but it won't come. My mind was blank with only the one word that I don't want to say. The word that has led me down a path I didn't want to go because this was going to hurt.

"Okay." I said

Shit this might even be a moment for the on big word. Fuck. Now that's a word. It was a much better word than okay.

They both walked over to the bed I watched them I knew my eyes grew wide from fear not of them but of the unknown, the pain. How bad was this going to hurt? I mean was it going to be like a level two or a level ten. While I was hoping for two I was expecting something along the lines of twenty.

I shut my eyes tight wishing to wake up on the other side of the rainbow where I wouldn't have to move. But then I thought about Dorothy's travel down the yellow brick road and that wasn't such a good idea. Maybe I could click my feet together three times and dream of going home and wake up on my air mattress. But you had to have red shiny shoes for that to work of which I didn't own. Had I owned them I would have sold them for the money so lot of good they would have done me now.

I opened my eyes and they were staring at me I knew I was being a baby but honestly I didn't want to move. I was hurting bad enough just sitting here on the bed let alone standing and walking. The irony of it all they called that shit therapy.

**Tell me what you think….Leave a review!**


	24. Chapter 24: First Steps

**Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! For those that have Private messages turned off that left Reviews thank you for the reviews! I love reading every one of them so keep them coming.**

**I want to Thank Margaret Fowler for encouraging this story out of me. When I mentioned it to you 6 7 months ago you didn't let it die in my head. You kept pressing for it so here it is finally being written! I hope it is everything you thought it would be.**

**Maragret a special hug for you today!**

**Standard Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine. They belong to JE I just take them out of the box and play with them a little. I have begged to keep Ranger and Lester for myself but I have yet to get a response… **

**I want to thank you all for the support and understanding I have gotten with this story…it is incredible. I know no one liked having to go to every other day posting, including myself, but I didn't want to compromise the story with trying to push out a chapter a day now that things have gotten hectic. Hopefully when it settles down in a week or so I can go back to daily updates. At least that is the dream and goal. I hope you enjoy today's chapter!**

**Chapter 24: First Steps**

**BPOV**

I normally didn't do nervous but I knew if I caused her too much pain, or if I hurt her in some way Ranger wouldn't think twice to take a pound of my flesh for it.

We walked over to her and I saw her eyes wide with fear. I was hoping the fear wasn't because of us but because of the unknown of what we were going to do. I knew it was going to hurt but I also knew it was important to get her up and moving. The sooner we get her moving the sooner we could get her released and I was hoping I could get her to agree to come to Rangeman where I could continue her care but if not I was hoping she would at least agree on allowing me to continue her care.

I knew Ranger would want it that way.

I knew she hadn't told me the truth with all the Okays but I didn't push her. I figured she had her reasons though I wasn't quite sure what those reasons were. She seemed calmer, more agreeable and I wondered what had changed.

Ranger was standing on one side of her and I was on the other. I wanted to Ranger to support her upper body while I helped with getting her legs off of the bed. While she only had the cast on her lower leg and her knee could bend I knew if it was allowed to hang off the bed suspended it would cause her a lot of pain so I wanted to make sure I held that leg to keep it from hanging.

"Stephanie, please look at me. I asked her and after a few seconds she opened her eyes. They were bright shining with a little fear and a lot of uncertainty. I wasn't sure what to tell her to calm her but I needed her to relax a little. Her muscles were tight.

"Stephanie, it's going to be alright. We aren't going to hurt you. It will hurt however. Your body is injured so it is going to hurt but we won't do anything to hurt it more. The more you are able to move the faster you will get out of here." I told her hoping that I could give her some incentive to want to do this.

Her head snapped to me questions flying across her face but I saw new determination, determination that wasn't there just moments before and I couldn't help but wonder where she had pulled it from. I knew her pain was more than she said, but hearing my words had done what I hoped it had given her a purpose to focus on. Looking at her I would say she had focused on getting out of here. I was in awe of her strength.

"Ranger I need you to raise her upper body a little and support it. I am going to swing her legs to the side of the bed so that she is between us. I want to support her leg until we have her on her feet. Stephanie, I am going to support your leg all the way to the floor. You can put your toes on the ground but I don't want you putting any weight on your left leg. Do you understand me?" I asked her and she nodded.

"Ranger" I said cueing him that I was ready for him to raise her. He nodded.

"Babe, I am going to raise you now. Look at me; it's going to be okay. I have you; I am not going to drop you. Remember that. You can do this." He told her and I thought he was saying a whole lot more than the actual words. Her body relaxes a little bit at his touch her eyes locked on his and I feel as if I am invading on a private moment as they look at each other staring into each other's eyes.

He begins to raise her and her eyes close I am sure because of the pain. "Babe, open your eyes, look at me." He asks her his voice so soft, I don't know the word but a way I had never heard Ranger's voice. It is almost coaxing like you would a stray animal out of a dangerous location to get it to a shelter. I never thought Ranger had that in him. I had never seen it in him.

She opens her eyes and I see Ranger smile I almost forget to do what I need to do for looking at him watching her and listening to him talk to her. I swear part of me wants to do a double take and order a hospital room for him because he isn't the same, something is wrong with him. I have never seen him so different so soft.

'Watch it Brown and focus on what the fuck you need to focus on. If you want to see exactly how 'soft' I am I would be glad to show you on the mats.' I hear in my head now that voice sounded like the voice I had always known that tone. I relaxed a little. I focused on moving her legs and I heard her gasp for air as she was being turned.

"It's okay Babe. You are okay. You are strong. Stronger than most people I know. You can do this. He told her. I knew he was talking about her inner strength and not her physical strength because in her condition she was weak extremely weak and I questioned if she had the strength for more than a couple of steps. Her body so depleted and then the injuries on top of that her recovery was going to take time, but building her body back up was going to take even longer. Her health and body had suffered.

I don't think anyone including Ranger actually fully understood what a number her eating crackers for a month had done to her body.

She nodded her head at him but I could see the skepticism it radiated off of her body. While he had faith she could do it she did not.

"Ranger gently move her forward lift her even a little so her feet can touch the ground." I told him. He nodded.

"Babe you can do this." He told her as he moved her forward her intake of air told me all I needed to know about the pain. I expected her to yell out to stop that it was too much but she didn't. I heard the grinding of her teeth and I knew she was fighting to keep from yelling out. Her face turned slightly red from how hard she was clamping her jaw and tensing the muscles in her face.

Looking at her like this I realized I would do anything to take the pain for her and looking at Ranger I could see it in his eyes he was in as much pain as she was. Seeing her in this much pain and knowing you are the cause is sickening but you also know that without it she won't get better. This will actually help so it is a necessary but it still felt evil none the less.

"Stephanie you are doing great. We are going to stand you all the way up and give you the crutch for your right arm. We are going to support your left side. I promise we will not let you fall. Don't worry about falling." I told her. Hoping she would believe my promise and relax from the worry of having to use the crutch.

"Remember no weight on the left leg. Only put your toes on the floor to help with stability but do not shift any weight to your left side." I reminded her and she nodded.

She took a few shallow breaths as we raised her to her feet. We held her steady for a minute so she can catch her breath. Ranger's eyes haven't left her and I know he would take the pain if he could I am just glad he hasn't decided to kick my ass for causing her this pain.

She seems to have better control and she nods her head. "Okay we are going to help you but I want to see how much you can do as well." I tell her and place the crutch under her arm in the proper position. She grabs it and holds on to it with a death grip. I watch as her knuckles turn white because of her grip and I know it is part pain and part determination that is causing it.

She takes one step and a second step. Ranger is holding her and I wonder how much of her moving is her versus how much is he taking her weight to make it easier but I don't push the matter. She is doing it that is all that is important at this point in time.

A gush of air escapes her lung and I can feel the shake of her body. She has taken three whole steps in the room away from the bed and I think she has reached her limit for the day. Hopefully she will be able to walk back to the bed. "That is good Stephanie. We are going to turn you around so you can walk back to the bed." I tell her and she nods.

"Ranger" I said cueing him that we were going to turn her. We both walked around in a circle. We were careful of her and in the end I don't think we did a bad job of turning her.

"Okay Stephanie, that was good now walk back over to the bed." I told her and she nodded.

She slowly puts one foot in front of the other her eyes are closed so tight that there is no way she can see where she is going she is relying on us for that. The pain in her ribs is probably the source for most of her pain. I am sure her muscles hurt and ache which is typical after having been involved in a car accident.

We make it back to her bed. "Good Job. Now we are going to turn you around and get you back in bed. Once we get you back in the bed I will give you something for the pain." I tell her and she nods her head. I suspect her pain is at such a level that she isn't going to say anything. Her jaw is still tense her bottom lip sucked between her teeth and I briefly wonder if she has broken the skin with how hard she has clamped down on her lip.

Once we have her back in bed I look at Ranger and I can see the tension within him. I can see anguish on his face. I had never seen Ranger act this way; ever. I found myself once again wondering what happened on his mission. Something changed him something had changed him and affected him on a profound level that I wasn't sure he even realized or grasped.

"Ranger man this is so she will heal faster. It is painful but she is strong. She can do it." I told him and he nodded.

"Just give her something for the pain and leave the excuses for another time." He says and I can tell he is at the end of his patience and tolerance for seeing her in pain. I nod.

I pull the needle out of my pocket uncap it and put it in the IV line. I nod to Ranger and he nods back to me. I look at Stephanie lying in the bed and she has her eyes open but her breath is still shallow and quicker trying to breathe past the pain the moving has caused.

"Stephanie it will be just a few more minutes before the pain will start to subside." I told her and she nodded her head still not allowing her bottom lip to be free from her teeth.

I heard a gush of air and I knew it was Stephanie. I turned to look at her and her eyes were no longer crunched and she was breathing more normally she looked beyond tired. Sweet had beaded on her forehead causing her hair around her face to become damp and stick to her. She looked ashen and pale but I could tell the pain was starting to subside.

After a few more minutes her eyes were drooping heavy from the pain meds and I knew it wasn't going to be long before she would be asleep. Ranger had taken the chair beside her bed he was holding her hand his fingers playing with her fingers. I couldn't help but think for something that was so casual it seemed more intimate. I turned away as if I was intruding on a private moment and decided to give them the privacy that I felt like they needed.

**EllaPOV**

I had packed up the food that I had fixed for my boys and girl. It was official I was adopting Stephanie as a Rangeman; the first Rangeman woman. I didn't care if she didn't work for the company, I didn't care if she wanted the adoption she had saved one of my sons and for that I was grateful.

All of the guys were talking about how Ranger was different. How he wasn't acting like himself. If Ranger knew he would take them all to the mats but I wasn't going to tell him and I had given my boys hell when I found them gossiping about Ranger and Stephanie.

I knew they weren't gossiping to spread information just trying to gain understanding and more information as they didn't understand the changes they were seeing in Ranger. How protective he was of her, how he wouldn't leave her side, and how he was ready to turn on them when they entered the room unannounced; protecting her. I knew they were just trying to wrap their heads around the changes in him. I knew why but I also understood why my boys didn't understand it.

I had always prayed that my boys would find someone to show them how deserving they were. How much they had to offer the world, how much they were capable of loving someone. I felt like Stephanie was the answer to that prayer and I was going to do everything to make her feel special, to make her feel loved, and accepted in our family even if I had to teach my boys a lesson in the process.

I had already exacted a little revenge on Lester. I had hid his condoms along with his protein powder for his energy drink. He was lucky I had heard he had apologized and I heard he had stood up to her mother and a cop. Had he not done that I had fully intended to swap out his artificial sweetener with sugar, and fix all of his meals with pure butter, and pig fat.

I had my ways of exacting a little pay back and I wasn't above using them. If they made me mad enough well I would just give them a good old fashion spanking. Of course I have never had to do this but I wouldn't be above it.

I had Bones and Hal help me load the car with my packed boxes. I was going to give Stephanie another bath, change her clothes, and wash her hair again. Bobby had told me how she was sweating after getting up and moving around. I knew laying there sticky from sweat couldn't be comfortable. I wanted her comfortable as possible.

I made my way to the hospital Bones and Hal following me they were next on door duty. It was standard protocol when a Rangeman was injured to have the door guarded. They had enemies and I fully wanted my boys protected. I was glad they had invoked that policy for her.

I reached her door Cal and Zero were still there. I knew they had pulled a long day and you could see it in their eyes. They had been here since last night but with the cop and her mother coming by their hours were extended just in case one of them came back. They hadn't as of yet.

I walked up to them and touched both of their faces. Them leaning down to me I gave them both a kiss on their cheeks while patting the other cheek lightly with my hand. I wanted them to know how much I loved them. They both smiled at me. To be such big, rugged, men they had such loving hearts.

"Boys I have some food for you. Your replacement is here why don't you grab some water, and I will get you food shortly. Go take a seat and rest." I told them and they both nodded. They had looked after my little girl, the new addition to my family. Now it was time for me to look after them.

Bones and Hal took their place I looked at them. "You know the rules right? If the cop or her mother shows up they are not to be permitted in. Under no circumstances is that clear?" I asked them and they both nodded. I nodded and knocked on the door waiting for Ranger to allow me to enter.

"Enter" I heard him and my heart dropped he sounded tired, worn, fatigued.

I opened the door seeing him he looked every bit the way he sounded. My heart ached I sat the box down and went back out in the hallway to grab the boxes Bones and Hal had carried in.

I reached in the box and grabbed the clean clothes I had packed for Ranger walking back in I handed them to him. "Go get yourself cleaned up and when you get back I will have your food ready for you and then we need to talk." I told him and he nodded.

I went about cleaning the room. Stacking the empty boxes that had carried the food I had sent along with some of the dirty clothing in the corner to be carried to my car. I put some of the dishes that had been emptied back into the boxes I would take care of them when I got back to Rangeman.

Stephanie was asleep and I didn't want to wake her. I would wait until she woke up. I organized some of the other things and decided to take the boxes back to the car. I called Cal and Zero into the room to sit with Stephanie while I made the necessary trips to the car. I knew Cal and Zero would do it but they had already done enough so I made them sit while I got the boxes loaded into the car.

Once I was back in the room I set about fixing plates for my boys. I had heard about Stephanie's appetite and I had fixed more than enough. I first fixed Cal's and Zero's plate and handed it to them along with a bottle of water. I then fixed Bobby's plate and placed it on the counter. Reaching for the phone I texted him that food was waiting on him. It wasn't two minutes there wasn't a knock on the door.

I stepped between the bed and door "enter" I said and Bobby popped his head around the door. I stepped back letting him enter. Ranger had trusted me to keep Stephanie safe while he was getting cleaned up and I was determined to be as diligent in my job as he was in his.

I handed Bobby his plate and water. I then fixed Ranger's because I knew he wasn't going to be much longer getting cleaned up. I had no more finished his plate before he walked back in the room. I could tell he was angered when he saw the guys eating but I stopped that "Ranger I have plenty. There is plenty for her. Don't worry. You eat" I told him and he relaxed a little. I handed him his plate and water and he nodded following my directions. He wasn't above my punishments including receiving a good old spanking from me. He might be a badass to the rest of the world and someone to fear but not to me.

I fix Hal a plate first and open the door to give him his plate. He accepts it along with water. "Go over there sit and eat. When you are done let me know and I will fix Bones' plate. You should be able to see the door from there if there is an intruder you can get here fast enough." I told him and he nodded.

I fixed Bones' plate and sat it on the counter. I knew how fast Hal ate so I knew it wouldn't take long before he would be replacing Bones. I looked around the room the room was big enough for a cot to be placed against the far wall something that Ranger could stretch out in and get some rest. I made a note to make sure a cot was placed in the room. Sometimes I was just forced to think of everything. I shook my head at the idea. He would make sure she had everything she could possibly need above and beyond and never think about himself. I wondered if the rest of the world could see the wonderful man he was. I knew the answer was no even though deep down I wanted it to be yes.

I heard a knock at the door I picked up Bones dish and carried it to the door. Opening it Hal was there handing me back the empty dish. I handed Bones his dish and water. I gathered up the guys empty dishes and packed them back in the empty box I hadn't carried to the car.

"Okay boys time to get out. I need to take care of Stephanie here." I told them and they all stood to leave except for Ranger. I knew he wouldn't leave. I had fixed a few more tank tops for her and had gotten her a few more pairs of gym shorts. I went ahead and embroidered Rangeman logo on all of them. Maybe it would give Ranger ideas if he didn't already have them.

"Ranger I am going to undress her and bath her then wash her hair." I told him and he nodded. I put the basin in the sink and filled it with warm water. Grabbing the towels and wash cloth I had packed for her.

I put the basin, the soap, shampoo, conditioner, towels, washcloths, on the rolling table. I rolled it closer to bed. I unhooked her tank top straps and folded the straps down. Got the washcloth wet and began with her face and neck. I then washed her shoulders and upper chest up to the brace around her chest. Washed her arm the one not in a cast and her fingers. Her fingernails looked terrible like she had been gnawing on them and I made a note that the next visit I would bring something to fix them.

I washed the exposed skin on her left arm and hand. I then started at the lower half first with her feet. I washed her toes and feet making a note to bring her some shoes so she wouldn't have to walk barefooted on the floor. I wash her right leg and then the left all of the exposed skin around the cast.

"Ranger I need you to raise her hips so I can take these shorts off of her." He raised her hips and I lowered her shorts and underwear. I washed her body being cautious of the catheter tubing. She was still sleeping and I was glad because I wouldn't want her to be embarrassed. I gathered her clean underwear and shorts and fished them on her legs once she was dried and fished them up her legs feeding the catheter tubing through the one leg before hooking it back into the bag.

"Ranger, please lift her hips for me again." I told him and he raised her enough for me to pull the articles of clothing up on her body.

I dumped the water and filled the basin again with warm water placing it back on the rolling tray."Ranger I need you to raise her upper body for me and hold her I am going to wash her hair." I told him and he nodded. Walking to the head of the bed he raised her upper body and held it while I spread out the towel beneath her head and put the basin under her head.

I let her hair fall in the water and proceeded to wet her hair down. I added shampoo and began to massage it in rubbing her head with my fingertips. She let out a low moan and I couldn't help but smile at the smile on Carlos' face. I continued to massage the shampoo in her hair for a few minutes and then proceeded to rinse it out.

I changed the water once more and gave her hair a second rinse before adding conditioner to her hair and once again massaging it in. I changed the water and rinsed her hair a couple of more times before I decided it was rinsed well.

I removed the basin after squeezing all of the water I could squeeze out of her hair. "Okay Ranger lay her back down but make sure her hair is on the towel and not on her bed linens." I told him and he nodded.

He took the chair beside her bed and picked her hand up. I saw his fingers playing with hers and I wasn't even certain if he even realized he had grabbed her hand it seemed as though it was second nature for him. Something he just did unconsciously but it gave me hope and my heart surge with love.

I went about fanning out her hair brushing it out to dry it. I had just about gotten her hair completely dried when she started to stir. Opening her eyes I was struck by her beautiful blue eyes. She was a beautiful woman.

I quickly removed the towel from under head and washed my hands at the sink. I removed her bathing items and placed them back in the boxes placing the towels in the box that was going with me to Rangeman. Looking at her she was blinking her eyes waking up while staring at Ranger. I couldn't help but see she was as taken with him as he was with her and it made my heart soar.

I stepped up to the bed. "Hi Stephanie I am Ella." I introduced myself to her and she smiled looking at me.

"Hi Ella It's nice to meet you. Thank you so much for the food you have sent me. It was delicious thank you for doing that for me." She said and I smiled.

"Anytime, you want something you just tell them and I will make it for you." I told her meaning every word. I patted her little arm. I couldn't wait to put a little weight on her and I would make whatever she wanted whenever she wanted.

She smiled at me. She looked down at herself and I saw her eyebrows knit together as she looked at Ranger. "I am wearing different clothes. Who changed me?" She asked.

"I did dear. I gave you a bath, changed your clothes, and washed your hair." I told her she blushed red and ran her fingers through her hair.

"Thank you." She said. I nodded.

"Anytime sweet heart I thought it would help you feel better." I told her and she nodded I couldn't help smiling at her. I went to the bathroom grabbing Ranger's dirty clothes and his towels adding them to the box that was going back to Rangeman with me.

Coming out of the bathroom I noticed Ranger had set her up and he was fixing a plate for her and I couldn't help the smile that was on my face. Seeing him caring for her, doing for her made the hope within me further swell in my chest.

He placed her food on the tray I had cleared off along with water and rolled it up to her bed. "Babe Ella fixed you some more food." He told her as her eyes found mine.

"Thank you." She said to me and I nodded.

"I am going to go so you can get some rest. Ranger I am going to have something delivered to this room and I want you to use it. I won't let you tell me no. You look exhausted and you need it." I told him and warned him. He looked at me confused but I wasn't going to tell him what it was because I knew he would try to refuse it. He finally nodded when he was met with my do not make me force you face. I nodded grabbing the box I had packed I made my way out of the room.

Once the door closed I couldn't help but smile as I made my way to my car practically floating with glee.

**Tell me what you think….leave a review! **


	25. Chapter 25: Next Steps

**Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! For those that have Private messages turned off that left Reviews thank you for the reviews! I love reading every one of them so keep them coming.**

**I want to Thank Margaret Fowler for encouraging this story out of me. When I mentioned it to you 6 – 7 months ago you didn't let it die in my head. You kept pressing for it so here it is finally being written! I hope it is everything you thought it would be.**

**Standard Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine. They belong to JE I just take them out of the box and play with them a little. I have begged to keep Ranger and Lester for myself but I have yet to get a response… **

**I want to thank you all for the support and understanding I have gotten with this story…it is incredible. I know no one liked having to go to every other day posting, including myself, but I didn't want to compromise the story with trying to push out a chapter a day now that things have gotten hectic. Hopefully when it settles down in a week or so I can go back to daily updates. At least that is the dream and goal. I hope you enjoy today's chapter!**

**Chapter 25: Next Steps**

**RPOV**

I had sat around in the hospital room for what seemed like forever. I needed to do something better. Ella had told me that she was going to have something brought to the room for me to use and it was cot to sleep in. Fuck that.

One I couldn't get it close enough to Stephanie to sleep and have any peace and two I wasn't some fucking pussy that needed to sleep on a cot in the hospital room. I was tired but I wasn't going to succumb sleeping on a cot.

I needed to get her moved to Rangeman. We could one protect her better, and two Bobby would be there to take care of her. It wasn't like the hospital was really doing anything for her that Bobby couldn't do.

Bobby walked back into the room while Stephanie was sleeping. She had eaten the food that Ella brought and gone back to sleep. "Bobby I want to move her to Rangeman. Can we do that?" I asked him. He looked at her accessing her and then nodded.

"What will it mean for her?" I asked him and he shrugged.

"Well she needs to be a little more mobile as she won't have a catheter. They could release her with it and I could take it out but I don't see her as being comfortable with that option. If they take it out here it would mean that she needs to be more mobile so she can make it to the bathroom." He told me and I nodded. I like option number two better. I knew he would be professional about it and I also knew he had already seen everything but something in me wasn't happy about knowing he would be seeing her again in such an intimate way.

Fuck I needed to get a handle on these feelings. I didn't do these kind of fucked up feelings.

"What else? What do you need?" I asked him. Trying to plan and prepare for her to be moved.

He shrugged. "I have everything we need. I can't think of anything I would have equipment for her therapy there. Anything she would need we have if not we can get it quick enough." He told me and I nodded. Good.

"Good, talk to the doctors attending to her get their thoughts but at this point if you don't see a reason why not plan on moving her to Rangeman as soon as possible." I told him. We needed to get her moved. I didn't want any more trouble with the fucking cop and I didn't want her mother causing any trouble either. I knew we would have to work something out along the lines with her family but I wasn't focusing on that at the moment. Her safety and her health was the primary concern at the moment.

The rest of the assholes could wait until I was ready to deal with them but I hadn't forgotten, I hadn't let them slide. They had fucked with something that was mine and one thing people didn't do was fuck with what was mine. If they were dumb enough to do it the first time they sure as fuck didn't do a second time.

"Ranger, why don't we see how she moves tomorrow and if it is better plan on talking to the doctors about getting her out of here?" Bobby said and I nodded. I didn't like it much it means that I would have to be in the hospital a little longer but I could survive one more night. I still wasn't sleeping on some fucking cot even if Ella had sent it. What she didn't know wouldn't hurt her.

I took the chair beside her bed grabbing her hand in mine my fingers playing with her fingers. It was a habit that I was getting into and half the time I didn't really realize I was doing it until after I had her hand in mine and was toying with her fingers.

The first time I realized it I had the desire to release her fingers drop them as if they burned me but I have come to enjoy it; crave it even. I wasn't sure I really liked where this was headed but once I was back at Rangeman things would become more normal. I would become more normal more myself. Being in this room in this close proximity to her had my mind and body doing things it wouldn't do when we were back at Rangeman.

I would be able to conduct business the way I had all along and know that she is safe within the building. Something about that thought made me very uneasy but I wasn't sure what. I was anxious to get my life back on track.

She began to stir and her eyes fluttered opened. Landing on mine she smiled. I couldn't help return her smile she looked so beautiful so small yet so beautiful.

"Hi" She said sleep falling from her eyes. From the look on her face her pain levels were much better.

"Hi" I said back smiling at her. Such a simple word hi but when I said it my heart leaped in my chest my pulse quickened and somehow the word just held a whole lot more saying it to her. It wasn't a word I said often even to my men at Rangeman, or my family. I didn't even answer the phone with hi or hello.

"How are you feeling?" I asked her

"Okay." She said. Oh so we are back to Okays.

"Do you need anything, can I get you anything?" I asked her and she nodded.

"Water, please I am thirsty" she said. I nodded and grabbed water for her placing it on the table.

I raised her bed so she was sitting up. I saw her wince with pain at the movement but once the bed came to a halt she seemed to have it under control. It seemed better than prior times but that may have been wishful thinking on my part. I want her out of this room. I need out of this room.

"Anything else, are you hungry? I think we have something here you can snack on if you are hungry. Ella will send more food with change of shift." I told her and she nodded. I went in search of food in the boxes that Ella had left.

I found some peanut butter, a jar of olives, some cookies, and white bread. I looked in another box and found chips, crackers, and some kind of fruit bars. Food that was full of sugar, processed foods, or white flour what the hell was Ella thinking. I knew these were for snacks and not our meals but nothing healthy; nothing wholesome. Not to mention fucking crackers as if I needed to be reminder of that.

I am sure they came with one of the boxes delivered before we knew everything we knew now because I sure as fuck wasn't going to give her crackers to eat. I picked up the offending box and discarded it in the trash.

I wanted to call Ella and ask her what was she thinking but I knew better so I refrained. She had brought what she \thought was best and who was I to say differently. I did discover some fruit in another box I found apples, oranges, bananas those were better options I also found some granola, and some dehydrated green bean straws now that was better. I grabbed one of the plates and put a couple pieces of fruit on it. I pealed an orange and used my knife after I washed it to cut up the apple for her to make it easier for her to eat. I went ahead and cut up some banana too the potassium will be good for her.

I then revolted at the thought but grabbed two pieces of white bread and made her a peanut butter sandwich. I looked in the cooler that she had left and retrieved a yogurt along with some carrot sticks and some broccoli florets at least she had that option. All in all not a bad snack if you forget about the white bread that crap she didn't need.

The peanut butter held fat that her body needed along with some protein but it also contains sugar which I tried to overlook. I walked over to her table and placed the plate along with a napkin and her silverware on the table in front of her. She smiled at me but frowned at the food. She picked up the peanut butter sandwich and ignored all of the healthier items.

She didn't seem to mind it was white bread as she dug right into the sandwich. I did have to marvel at her appetite she was half the size of me and ate more than me at any given meal. Those thoughts worried me because I couldn't help but wonder if this was something that had occurred since she was being starved on crackers. Now she would eat herself to an unhealthy weight and cause herself greater health issues with diabetes, high blood pressure, clogged arteries the list just grows.

I found myself frowning at my own thoughts and thought it was odd I was even entertaining these thoughts. It never mattered before to me what a woman ate. I mean I am all about someone keeping themselves healthy, and in shape I worked on it daily for myself, and expected the same from my men but I never thought about in these terms as I was with Stephanie.

"You should eat some of your vegetables." I tell her trying to get her to eat some of the healthier options on the plate and she frowns and scrunches her nose up as if I had just asked her to eat the vilest thing imaginable. You would have thought I said eat shit with her expression.

"They are good for you, your body needs them, now eat." I said a little more forceful trying to impose on her how good it was for her eat the healthier options on her plate. She once again looked at me frowning.

"Carlos, look. I agreed to let you help me mainly because I think it is something you needed as much as I probably need the help. But I agreed and I have for the most part been agreeable and haven't said anything before now. But this I draw the line. You aren't going to tell me what to and what not to eat." She said forcefully biting back at my insistence that she eat her food.

I want to smile but I hold it back. I am not use to having people not do what I tell them. My men I tell them to do something and they fucking do it or I beat their fucking ass on the mats until they agree to do it or were fucking wishing like hell they had done it; most times both. No wasn't something that was told me more than once.

Only special people could get away with telling me no all of them were my family. Apparently I had another name to add to that list even though I wasn't really happy about it. This seemed to be a slippery slope I was on and I was definitely sliding down it. How fast and when I was going to be able to stop well that seemed to be unclear at the moment.

"So you agreed to help me because you think you are helping me as well?" I questioned her. She looked at me and nodded; interesting concept.

"You said your helping me was allowing you to right a wrong in your life. So by me allowing you to help me, I am actually helping you." I shake my head at her logic.

"Babe that isn't the only reason I want you to allow me to help you. I want you to allow me to help you because you need it." I told her and she looked at me narrowing her eyes. Shit I have said something she doesn't like once again. Why can't I just learn to leave good enough alone; fuck.

"Carlos, I appreciate your offer of help but the only way I am going to allow you to help me is if I am able to help you. If that isn't the case then I am not going to allow you to help me. I can't pay you back. The way things are going I have no idea when I will ever be able to pay you back. I can't accept your help if I don't have a way that I am paying you back." She tells me and I am floored.

She had already confessed to how broke she really was. Fact that she had no electricity, no money, single digits in her checking account fucking living off of crackers and she was going to turn my help down unless she was able to help me in return. On one hand my fury rose in me pissed that she wouldn't let me help her for no reason like she thought there was a fucking price for what I would pay to help her. There was no price and I was fucking millionaire anyway.

I had the money in spades to care for her and take care of her the way she deserved the way I craved.

"Okay." I throw my hands up in mock surrender. "Okay Babe you are helping me. You are helping me right the wrong and for that I will forever be indebted to you and thankful." I tell her meaning it and hoping that it will be enough to settle her now agitated state.

She was weak, she was hurting, she was injured yet she found the strength to not only argue with me but win. I was in fucking awe of her strength she was only further proving how truly strong she was. She was quickly living up to what I told her. She was the strongest person I knew.

I wanted her to agree to come back to Rangeman with us once we were able to bust her out of here so I didn't need to upset her to the point that she would refuse to come to Rangeman with us; with me.

She looks at me and narrows her eyes accessing me. I could read her mind and she was trying to decide if she believed me or not. She finally nodded letting me know that whatever it was she was questioning she had gotten her answer and I could only hope that answer was the one I wanted it to be.

I thought I would have a little fun. "So if you don't want me to tell you what to eat, why don't you tell me what you want to eat?" I offered to her. She looked at me narrowing her eyes once again. I was hoping that she would give me some idea of foods she liked.

"I like a lot of food. Pinos Meatball Subs, Cluck in a bucket chicken, McDonalds Big Macs with Fries; supersized. Burger King Whopper with cheese, chick…." I couldn't hear anymore

"Babe, that stuff will kill you." Holy hell did she eat anything that wasn't fried, fattening, or red meat? How the hell was she still living? How the hell was she so small? I know she hadn't eaten for a month but with the food she was spouting out how did she not have a weight problem before she was unable to afford anything but crackers.

"Carlos, you asked me the food I liked I am just telling you." She said.

"Babe do you ever eat salads, or vegetables?" I found myself asking her and she frowned crunching her nose up again as if I had asked her if she ate something hideous.

"The only time I eat salads is when I feel like I am getting fat." I had to control the smile that threatened to burst out on me.

"When is it you feel like you are getting fat Babe?" I found myself asking her. I was unable to keep the words from popping out of my mouth. The humor was clearly evident in my voice and I was glad there was no one else in the room hearing this conversation.

Her eyes cut to me her cheeks flushed and I knew she didn't want to tell me. Maybe I had stepped over the line. I didn't know a whole lot about women but I knew enough that women didn't like talking about their weight and here I was questioning her about her feeling fat. I felt like I was somehow grotesquely stepping over the invisible line of don't go there when it came to talking to women. This is why I don't talk to women. I fuck them not talk to them.

Her voice dropped to barely above a whisper "Well I usually judge it by if I can button my jeans." She said turning even brighter red. I decided to give her an escape route even though I was horrified at the food choices she had listed and mutually humored by her measurement of when she felt fat.

"Babe I don't think we need to worry about that right now." I tell her. She looks at me and blushes again. That's brilliant remind her how thin she has gotten. Fuck I needed to get off of food and weight I wasn't winning any points with this conversation.

She continued to eat. "Do you have anything sweet?" She asked me and I had I had to hold my tongue from asking her if she was kidding. I remembered the cookies and I nodded. Walking over to the box I retrieved the box of cookies and walked back over to her. These wouldn't hurt her after all the food I just heard her rattle off so I just handed her the box. She needed to add weight. I wanted her to do it by eating healthy foods but she obviously had other ideas.

I swallowed my horrific thoughts of the food she was going to consume and put a smile on my face as if I approved. The only silver lining I could find was the fact that eating like that would definitely put some weight on her and quickly. When she was ready we were going to have to introduce her to the gym.

She had eaten the sandwich a little bit of the fruit maybe a spoonful or two of yogurt and now she was tearing into the cookie package. I found myself on one hand being horrified and yet on the other hand I was humored watching her.

I just shook my head as she was focused on the cookie package. I took a seat in the chair beside her bed my hand missing the feel of hers. I balled my fist up to thwart off the thoughts of holding her hand and playing with her fingers. It bothered me that I wanted it as much as I did. I needed to help her but I also needed to remind myself of the dangers of my life. I didn't need to bring her into my fucked up life, my fucked up head, and my heartless body and soul.

"Babe I was talking to Bobby earlier while you were sleeping. Tomorrow depending on how you are moving we may be able to get you dismissed." I told her.

"Really?" She asked and I heard the hope in her voice and I was instantly sorry I had said something. What if she wasn't able to go home tomorrow and now I had given her hope. Damn. There was so much I didn't know about women. Fuck. No wonder it was so much easier to just fuck them and walk away. You never had to worry about disappointing them, doing the wrong thing, breaking their hearts or them breaking yours.

You just fucked them until they weren't able to come anymore and then walked away. They were happy, they were satisfied and I was able to walk away knowing they had a good night without any further thoughts and zero worry. I was seeing there was something to be said for that lifestyle. We weren't anything to each other and I was acting like a pathetic dumbass worrying over what I was saying, how I was acting, and what her reactions are going to be.

"Babe, don't get too excited I don't want you to be disappointed if it can't happen. We will have to wait and see how you are tomorrow, how you are moving." I tell her and she nods the smile slipping from her face and I am sure it is because of the thoughts of having to move more. I knew today was painful for her even though she handled herself extremely well.

I was proud of her. "Proud you Babe" I told her.

"What?" She asked me.

"Babe I am proud of you. You have to be in a lot of pain yet you have done your best to meet every challenge. I know how bad it had to hurt today and yet you walked." I told her.

"Carlos I took all of three steps away from the bed before I had to turn around. I wouldn't classify that as walking." She said downplaying her hard work.

"Babe I know how much that little movement can hurt and I am proud of you for what you did." I told her hopefully negating her negative thoughts of her accomplishments.

"Babe I need to ask you something. I need to ask you to consider something for when you do get discharged." She looked at me letting me know I had her whole attention. Suddenly I felt my throat go dry and I really wished I had a bottle of water right now. I really wanted her to say yes and I didn't realize exactly how much I wanted it until I was ready to ask her and felt the reactions of my body. I cleared my throat swallowing trying desperately to get some moisture to my dry throat so I could speak.

"When you are released I would like for you to think about coming to Rangeman with us. Bobby will be able to continue your care, and be there for your physical therapy. He is probably the best physical therapist on the East Coast." I tell her. I may be buffering Bobby's resume a little to impress her and get her to agree to come to Rangeman but not too much he was damn good.

"Rangeman? That's your company. How can I go to a place of business when I am released?" She asked me and I smiled.

"Babe Rangeman is a business but within the building we have apartments. I live there, my men live there, and Ella and her husband live there." I told her watching the questions fly by her face and smiling when she heard Ella lived there. I suspected she would come to love Ella as much as Ella appeared to love her already.

"How am I going to go there? I am not one of your men I would just take away from your business, your work. I would just be a burden." She said.

"No, actually you being there would make it easier on Bobby." I told her leaving out it would make it easier on me. That is if she agreed to let him be her therapist.

"It seems to me like you just have everything figured out." She said. I wanted to say yes but something told me by her tone that it wasn't actually a good thing. Something told me that I needed to keep quiet and tread lightly because I think somehow I just overstepped one of those fucking imaginary lines.

"Babe I don't know if I have everything figured out but I have been thinking how I could help ensure you got the proper care you needed once you were dismissed from the hospital. I hoped we could talk about it and come up with a solution that was workable." I confessed to her. The whole time I couldn't help but think here I was again giving into her a way that I never would with anyone else.

Anyone else I would just order them to follow my orders and even though I may not order my family I could always typically get them to agree to my way because I could always prove how my way was superior to others that my way typically was the best way. I was hoping she, like my family, would see this is the best option.

I wasn't about to let her be released and let her go back to her home. I couldn't ensure her safety. I had more information I needed to get from her like what exactly happened between her and that fucking cop. I needed her to tell me more there were still just too many questions and not enough answers when it came to Stephanie Plum.

What was it she was running from? What had her spooked and running when I hit her?

Why did she ask me for help and exactly what was it she needed help with? I needed to know the answer to this question. I needed to know what made her pull in front of me. What was it that had her so focused on running away that she was unable to see what she was running to or in this case running in front of.

"Carlos can I just think about it and let you know?" She asked me her voice sounded exhausted. I knew if she said no, it was going to be difficult to keep from trying to force her to come to Rangeman with us and I didn't want that. I wanted her to agree on her own for it to be her decision and not mine.

"Yeah Babe you can think about it. Just know that you are welcomed. You have Ella, me, the guys to help you if you come to Rangeman. I don't know if the hospital will allow you to go home on your own right now. I don't think they will deem that is safe enough for you. But I guess you could decide to go somewhere else to stay with a friend, family, etc." I told her. I know mentioning family was pretty low considering she already said she didn't want to deal with her mother but I wanted to give her further reasons why Rangeman was the better choice.

It was clearly time to change the subject once again I could only hope she made the decision I wanted her to make.

I picked up the plate and discarded the food she hadn't touched. I then moved her bed back down until she was lying back. Once again she winced in pain but it didn't seem as bad as before but again that could be total wishful thinking on my part.

I hated to see her in pain it hurt me in a way I hadn't hurt before. I would do anything to take the pain from her but I can't so I have to bare it and pretend it doesn't feel like someone is trying to rip my heart out of my chest. Guess it is a good thing I didn't actually have a heart.

"Babe you sound exhausted why don't you rest some more." I told her and she nodded her eyes heavy.

The more she rested the more her body was able to work at healing itself she didn't need to push herself to stay awake or stay up right now she needed to allow her body to focus on healing itself. I picked up her hand and started playing with her fingers. Happy about feeling her hand within mine once again I sat and watched her fall asleep.

She had been sleep maybe close to two hours when Lester came back into the room. "What do you want?" I whispered to keep from waking her up but annoyed that he was back. He had kept out Morelli and her mother, and he had apologized for his comments to her what else could he want?

"Hey man it's all good. I am just checking on our little patient here." He told me. Yeah I bet just checking on her.

"She's fine now you know you can go." I said you could feel the irritation in my voice.

"Man look I got it, she is yours hands off. I am just checking on her." He said defending his actions and hearing him say she was mine I wanted to retort damn straight she is mine but I held back shocked almost at my immediate gut reaction to his comment. Fuck I needed to get this under control.

"Man she isn't mine but I don't want you hound dogging her either. Remember I know you." I told him reminding him I knew all about his reputation. It was no different than mine only he did it a whole lot more than me.

"I told you man it's all good." I heard a little humor in his voice and I started to ask him what it was he found so damn funny and that maybe we needed to work that shit out of him on the mats but my attention was brought back to Stephanie when she jerked awake gasping for air.

I had dropped her hand when I stood to allow Lester to enter the room and I hadn't picked it back up. She was gasping and I knew that had to be killing her ribs. You could see the fear on her face and I wondered what it was she was suddenly afraid of.

"Babe it's okay. Calm down it's just Lester and I no one else is here." I assured her as she had started to get her breath back under control. She nodded her head.

"What's going on Babe, you want to tell us what's got you so worked up?" I offered picking her hand back up gently playing with her fingers to try to reassure her she is safe, I have been watching over her that nothing was going to happen to her on my watch.

"It was just a dream its nothing to worry about." She finally said.

"Hey Beautiful I just came to check on you. What were you dreaming about Beautiful that has you worried?" Lester asked her and I felt a surge of jealousy wash over me and I wanted to shove my fist along with his sentence down his throat. I wanted to be the one asking the questions taking care of her; not him. Fucker.

"It's nothing I would rather not talk about it." She said and I wanted to smile that she wasn't going to open up to him but I also wanted to know about the dream this was the second time she had woken up afraid because of a dream. I was wondering how much of this was because of a dream versus how much of it was possibly her brain trying to remember something that happened.

"Babe, tell us about it, please. It is possible that this isn't so much a dream as it is a memory. It may be a way that your subconscious is trying to make you remember." I told her. Hoping it would give her a reason to open up to us.

I once again play with her fingers feeling the feelings of peace wash over me. Her touching me makes me feel at peace. Lester sits down on the foot of her bed careful not to jar or hurt her.

"It's the second time I have had this dream. This time it wasn't as bad as first time. But there is a man I don't know who is trying to get me to…um…errr…um….you …..you know…" she says blushing and then moves her good hand in a jerky motion breaking our contact.

"Babe, no I don't know what is he trying to make you do?" I asked her knowing what her answer was going to be but before I decide to hunt some mother fucker down I need to know exactly what he was trying to make her do and if it was real or just a dream. I had this dreadful feeling it was real and the monster within me was glaring and roaring to life.

"Well in my dream I am dressed in a suit so I think I may be looking for a job or something I am not certain though. The man doesn't really do anything other than grab me and hold me and is saying things like having me take care of him. I ask him to let me go and he doesn't. He doesn't do anything else but hold me and force my hand down the front of him to let me know what part of him he expects me to take care of. So it is really nothing. It's just a dream." She says dismissing it. I am ready to kill someone and she says it's just a dream its nothing. It is something to me if this really happened.

Lester speaks up "Beautiful, I am not sure that it is just a dream." And her mouth flies open at his comment. Shock registers through her along with a shiver of fear. Way to go asshole scare the fuck out of her why don't you. I glare at him and I can see regret in his eyes. Stupid fucker should be sorry for scaring her.

"Babe it's okay you are safe." I pick up her hand. She nods.

"Beautiful what does the guy look like?" Lester asks her and she describes the guy to him. He's shorter, heavier balding has fat fingers and was wearing a suit she recalls.

"Beautiful I don't think it was dream I think it is a memory." Lester said. Fuck. The monster within me roars to life and in that moment I want blood. This room is too small and I need to move. I need room. I want to leave but I can't. The part of me that is drawn to her doesn't want to leave her but the monster within me needs the hunt, needs the kill. He needs action.

I pick her hand back up and the monster within settles my breathing is rough as I try to once again regain control.

"What do you mean Lester?" She asked him.

"I retraced your steps from the other day. The places you interviewed. I came across this company an accountant firm. The man you spoke with fits your description and when I spoke with him I had a feeling by the things he said that he had come on to you. He just seemed the type." Lester said shrugging.

"I think you are remembering the encounter you had with him." Lester added. Stephanie look shocked almost bewildered that it could be true. I couldn't help but think about the fingertip bruises on her and once again the monster within me flared but her touching me us holding hands kept him from demanding the man's life at least for this moment.

Tomorrow couldn't get here soon enough. I just hoped she would decide to come to Rangeman with us; with me.

**Tell me what you think…leave a review**


	26. Chapter 26: Stories are told

**Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! For those that have Private messages turned off that left Reviews thank you for the reviews! I love reading every one of them so keep them coming.**

**I want to Thank Margaret Fowler for encouraging this story out of me. When I mentioned it to you 6 – 7 months ago you didn't let it die in my head. You kept pressing for it so here it is finally being written! I hope it is everything you thought it would be.**

**Standard Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine. They belong to JE I just take them out of the box and play with them a little. I have begged to keep Ranger and Lester for myself but I have yet to get a response… **

**For everyone who has reviewed the past several chapters that I haven't responded to I want to Thank You! I love all of your comments and your reviews. I have been so busy I have been focusing on the chapters getting them written so I can get them posted on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! I plan on responding to the reviews from this chapter forward! So keep them coming as it gives me the opportunity to give you a sneak peek into what's coming.**

**Chapter 26: Stories are told**

**SPOV**

"So you think what I am dreaming could actually be something that I am remembering. That it actually happened?" I asked Lester trying to wrap my head around the fact that it could be true. I had to admit it seemed so damn real when I was dreaming it.

"Yeah Beautiful, I think it is a memory instead of a dream." Lester said making me feel even more uncomfortable.

"I don't remember anything so I don't know." I tried to dismiss it. I wasn't sure how much I wanted of this in my head. I wanted to dismiss it as a dream and nothing but a bad dream I didn't want this to have really happened.

"Babe if this happened we need to know. We need to know if there is a chance he could come after you again, if he was the reason you were running. We can't protect you the way we should if we don't know." Carlos told me.

Protect me why was it he felt like I needed so much protection and from what? I mean they stopped mom and Joe from coming in the room and that was nice but it wasn't like I couldn't handle them. I could handle them I had run him over with my Dad's Buick. Of course with my leg like this I wouldn't be able to do that but hey it's my left arm and left leg so it is possible I could drive if I had anything to drive.

"Carlos why do you think you need to protect me so much? If it happened, and I am not sure, nothing else is going to happen. In my dream I am there on an interview maybe and he comes on to me. It scares me, it makes me feel very uncomfortable in my dream but it isn't like he is chasing me or after me." I tell him. Trying to understand what he thought it was I needed protection from.

"You said you had guys at my door why are they there?" I asked him and he looked at me. I noticed Lester smiled and wasn't sure what he thought was so funny because at the moment I didn't think there was anything funny.

"Babe they kept your mother and the cop from getting in when you didn't want them. They guard the door to keep people like them, and others who could hurt you out. It is how I can keep you safe." He tells me and I shake my head.

"I am grateful they kept mom and Joe out don't get me wrong but it wasn't like they were here to hurt me. No one is going to come here to hurt me. Who would want to hurt me?" No one is the correct answer.

"Babe you never know you were running from something maybe it was the guy in your dream, maybe it was something else but until you remember and I am satisfied that we know who or what it was the guards stay, and so do I." He said adamant as if that was the final say in his voice. Would he leave?

I liked him being with me. I liked him being in my room. I liked him holding my hand playing with my fingers. I didn't want him to leave. I didn't want him to go anywhere. I felt the urge to refuse the guards to rebuttal his final say just because it felt like it was something he was demanding and well I never did well when people made demands of me.

I was the type person that would willingly follow and be happy about it but you couldn't force me or push me because in those cases I pushed back, I demanded back. I needed my freedom. I needed my independence and when someone tried to push me or demand things of me it felt like they were taking away my independence; my freedom and I tended to rebel even when what they were forcing or demanding was for my own good. It didn't matter that feeling of being forced was too strong for me to ignore.

However I wasn't sure I wanted to risk causing Carlos to walk away. I had agreed to allow him to help him but I hadn't signed up to be controlled. I hadn't signed up to be told what to do. I didn't agree to that.

"Carlos the guards aren't needed for me. I don't have anyone after me the worst I have coming after me is my mom." I told him.

"Beautiful, what about the cop?" Lester asks me. Fuck I don't want to talk about Joe right now.

"Joe isn't an issue I can deal with him, besides he isn't here to hurt me." I told them hoping that would be enough to make them table this conversation.

"Babe how do you know he doesn't want to hurt you? Why is he here? Why is he looking for you?" Carlos asked me.

I shrugged my shoulders. I actually had no idea why he wanted to see me. I hadn't seen him for years.

"I don't know I haven't seen him for years. There really is no reason for him to want to see me." I told them.

"Maybe my mother asked him, I don't know." I added.

"Beautiful I think he told your mother not the other way around." How the fuck did he know so much about me. How did he know this? I felt anger boiling in me again. My life, my privacy all had been invaded and why? Because, he wanted to help me, he wanted to right his fucking wrong he had committed and I was expected to just sit back and allow all of this because he asked to do this.

I was so torn. Part of me wanted to lash out the other part of me just wanted for this conversation to be over so I could go back to blissful denial land and pretend that I wasn't upset by it; in truth I was.

"How do you seem to know everything about me?" I bit out at Lester anger slipping through into my voice. His eyes enlarged slightly but the grin didn't drop from his face if anything it grew. Lester was surprised at my outburst but somehow he found it funny. I was hoping to intimidate him or even scare him a little but that didn't seem to be the case.

"Beautiful I don't know everything just what I could piece together. I ran your background check, then went to your house, talked to Mary Lou and retraced your steps from the other day. It was all done to gain information on you. But I think I just barely scratched the surface to what there is to learn about you." He said almost as if there was nothing wrong with him doing all of those things.

"It seems like you learned a lot." I snapped back at him feeling annoyed at him, at myself, at the world.

"Don't be mad Beautiful. I promise you and Carlos here are the only people I will share the information with. Besides I didn't learn anything that personal anyway." He says as if reasoning that because he didn't learn that much personal about me would be a difference. He was in my house, he spoke to my best friend, he obviously knew something about Joe and my past but he wasn't saying what. How was I not supposed to be mad?

"I am trying really hard not to be mad but I will tell you I am not fond of having my privacy invaded. I am not fond of you talking to my best friend. I have no idea what she told you and that has me upset more than I would actually like to be so don't tell me not to be mad because I am." The words flew out of my mouth before I had a chance to stop them.

"I am trying to allow you all to help me because well I agreed." I shot Carlos a look not sure how much of what he told me he wanted me to repeat. Unlike him, I was trying to respect his privacy. "But with everything going on I don't know if I can continue to agree." I confessed and I felt my heart constrict. While they had invaded my privacy they were acting more of a friend to me than I had in a long time. They were trying to offer me help, safety, and protection. While I didn't need all of it and they were taking it to the extreme I would be lying if I said I didn't like it at some level.

I did like it…very much. I wanted to allow Carlos to help me but I had to stay true to myself and I wasn't being true to myself if I didn't say something if I continued to allow them to overstep my privacy, my independence, my freedom. We had to find a balance or this wasn't going to work. What exactly did I want to work?

"Look we need to come to an agreement. Now that I am awake you need to come to me for stuff and not my best friend. You need to trust me when I say I am safe that I am fine or that I have something covered or can take care of something. You need to know that I will allow you to help me but I will not allow you to dictate things to me, I will not allow you to force me to do something that I am not willing to do, and I will not allow you to take my freedom away and treat me like some common criminal who needs to be locked in a room with guards." I said my voice rising as the words rushed out of my lips.

"Babe we aren't trying to do any of those things. You need to understand that we have enemies. We have enemies here in this city, in the state, throughout the country and world. Our enemies are some bad people who are capable of some really bad shit to put it nicely. These people aren't to be taken lightly. By me being here with you like this I have placed a target on your head. I take that seriously. I need you to take it seriously if you are going to allow me to help you." Carlos said

"I need you to think about your personal safety probably in a way you haven't before. I need to keep you safe. The guards need to stay it's the only way to ensure you are safe. Once you are released which I hope is tomorrow we can get you back to Rangeman and get you setup and you will be safe without having guards at your door." He told me.

"Rangeman huh? You say that like I have agreed that is where I am going. I don't recall having told you that." I reminded him. I would probably pick there as I didn't want to have to deal with my mom and especially Joe at my house but still I didn't want him to think he could just mandate it to me and I would do it. That wasn't who I was and because it felt like a mandate from him it made me want to refuse it even more. It made me want to buck the system; rebel.

"Oh Beautiful you coming to live with us? Righteous." Lester said and I shook my head at his excitement.

"Lester I don't know nothing has been decided. We have just talked about it but I have yet to make up my mind where I am going." I said looking at Carlos and narrowing my eyes at him this was going to come down to a war of wills. His will against mine. I could see it. Would he give enough that I could accept him and would I give enough to accept him without feeling like a prisoner.

Oh this was enough to make my head hurt.

"So what's the deal with you and the cop?" Lester asked me again and I looked at him. Did he not understand I didn't want to have this conversation with him? I never wanted to have this conversation but especially with Carlos in the room. Damn.

"There is no deal. I haven't seen him in years. There is nothing to discuss." I told him willing him to drop it but I could tell by the look on his face this conversation was far from over. Fuck.

"You know when Mary Lou and I talked she seemed pretty heated about him and you for there to be nothing. She told me things that I think you don't want to talk about and I think I know why but I want to hear them from you. I want to know why I am turning him away from your door because you don't want to deal with him." He said. Fuck. I was going to have to tell him this shit.

"Look it is old history between him and I and not very pretty history okay I would rather not talk about it." I told him putting extra emphasis on the fact that I didn't want talk about it but I may as well have been whistling in the wind for as far as a difference it made on his face. None, nothing, nada just the look that said I want to know and I want you to tell me. Damn it.

"Beautiful you don't have to tell us but I think you should tell us. I think by telling us we will be able to help you more." He said. There was nothing they could do to help me this was done over with water over the damn done. You know the spilled milk that you weren't supposed to cry over but every now and then you caught yourself crying over it because it just felt good to let go and cry at times.

Whatever.

"You really want to know what happened between Joe and me." I finally said anger in my voice I wasn't sure if it was directed at them for asking or Joe where the true hatred should lie. The anger was still there fresh as the day everything happened. I only need to think about it, him, and there was anger. I guess I should at some point ask someone about that was it normal to have this level of anger after all these years. I would bet a therapist would say no. But right now it was easier to grasp on to the anger and hold on.

"Yeah Beautiful tell us." Lester said and I looked at Carlos who was just sitting there on the edge of his seat his hand holding mine following his arm to his hand and watching my hand in his gave me a sense of calm I hadn't felt. Seeing his fingers play with my fingers made me soft inside mushy and I never wanted him to let my hand go. I knew it was wishful thinking I knew he would eventually leave me but I never wanted him to leave me. I never wanted him to walk away from me.

I feared he would hear something that would make him realized that he can't help me and he would just turn and walk away never having righted that wrong and not really caring that he didn't because I was too much trouble.

"Joe and I go way back. His family and my family have known each other for years and years before I was born, even before Joe was born. The Morelli men have a reputation in the burg of being the bad boys. Joe's father was about as mean as they got. He drank, and would abuse his whole family. I think it was lucky for all of them he died young. Joe was still a young boy when his father died. I don't remember the details of his death." I said taking a deep breath, well as deep as I could with my ribs, before continuing.

"Joe was no different even as young boy he was bad into everything he shouldn't have been and nothing but trouble with a capital T. He is two years older than me and when I was six he asked me to come into his father's garage to play a game. I did. I knew better my mother had warned me against the Morelli boys to stay away from them but honestly I was six and I was curious. I was independent and well because mom was so adamant about staying away I think that fueled the curiosity more and actually drew me closer. So when he offered I took him up on his offer to play a game." I told them.

"What I didn't know was that the game, Train, had nothing to do with actual trains, and tracks and everything to do with Joe being the train and me being a tunnel. I think you can use your imagination for the rest there. Needless to say at the time I was confused and I was even a little pissed that I didn't get to be the train." I confessed to two extremely pissed off looking men. Damn they were scary when they were pissed. Note to self, never piss them off again.

If they were this pissed about this I couldn't tell them anything else. I sat there with my eyes looking down for I wasn't sure how long just waiting. A few minutes later Carlos spoke up.

"Babe you need anything? Water, food anything?" He asked his voice sounded a way I couldn't understand the words versus the voice were complete contradiction to one another. I found myself shaking my head no while thinking it would be nice to have some water. He got up and proceeded to get me some water. How does he do that?

He put the water in front of me. "Now what is that you don't think you could tell us?" He asked me and I know my mouth fell open luckily I had swallowed my water or it would have just run out all down the front of me because at the moment I had no control over my jaw.

"Well that was the start. It was the start of the history between Joe and I and it was the start of my mother being disappointed in me and embarrassed by me." I confessed to them while they looked at me and I could see confusion on both of their faces.

"It was years later before Joe and I had another encounter. I mean we saw each other in school and on the streets where we both played but we had little to no interaction with each other. We would speak as in say hello when our paths crossed but that was about it." I told them.

"It was ten years later when I was sixteen and working after school at the Tasty Pastry that our paths crossed again. He walked in one evening close to the time of closing I was busy closing the shop up. He wanted to get some cannoli for his mom at least that is what he said was his reason for the visit." I told them and my throat went dry at the thought of what was to come.

I took a sip of water and in my haste to clear the dryness of my throat gulped too much and choked myself when I coughed from being choked I thought I was going to die from the pain and part of me wished that I would so I wouldn't have to say anything else.

I closed my eyes fighting the pain while I was trying to clear that chocked feeling. After a few minutes I opened my eyes to them waiting. I could tell by their faces they were waiting for the rest of the story. Great, they are just being a little obsessive over it.

"Well there isn't much to tell. He proceeded to talk me out of my pants and well we ended up doing it on the floor behind the counter." There that was it I had said it, whew I didn't need to elaborate anymore.

"Babe he talked you out of your pants? " Carlos asked me and I nodded.

"How so?" He asked me and I could sense and feel the anger in his voice. Was he mad at me? I mean this was something that happened thirteen years ago and I didn't even really want it I mean I went a long with it but it wasn't something I really wanted and not the way it happened.

I heard a sharp intake of air from Lester and I knew I had said that one out loud. Damn it of all the time for the filter to break it had to be now. See get me upset or worried and I couldn't keep shit from coming out of my lips.

"Beautiful you need to clarify that for us." He said and I could sense anger in his voice as well. I looked at Carlos and his body was ridged standing his muscles tight his jaw was clenched as well as his hands in fists. I reached for his hand touching the one closest to me and I saw his eyes drop to where my hand was touching his.

His hand uncurled from a fist to just hanging lose and my fingers stroke his hand and down his pinky finger. I move slightly it is awkward but I grab his hand within mine as well as I could. His hand is so much bigger than mine.

It was a few minutes before he sat down and placed his head on the bed and I took that moment to release his hand to stroke the side of his face and hair. He leaned his head into my hand. I couldn't believe for a hard man how wonderful soft his skin was his hair so silky smooth. I found myself almost jealous. I would die for skin that soft and hair that silky smooth.

"Joe locked the door. I went along with it because well I didn't know what else to do. So I allowed it to happen. I didn't really want it to happen it just did. I didn't know what else to do. He was well on his way to being his father's son. He was involved in fights, known for beating people up. He was known for being an Italian stallion that had taken half of the girls to bed. I didn't know what to do. I didn't know what to expect. I was a virgin and to tell you the truth had never had a boyfriend. Part of me was excited because I thought it meant he wanted to be my boyfriend. So I allowed what I didn't really want because I didn't know what to do. I was afraid to tell him no on one hand and stupid enough to think if I went along with it then he would be my boyfriend on the other. How stupid was that?" I asked them but they didn't answer.

"So I allowed it to happen and it was a mistake, a huge mistake. It was no more than over when he got up pulled up his pants thanked me calling me cupcake and walked out leaving me on the floor with my pants down around my ankles and blood on the floor that I had to clean up. It was the most embarrassing and painful experience of my life. I thought it was supposed to feel great but it didn't it was painful and it hurt. I just wanted to forget it ever happened. I wasn't going to tell anyone but he proceeded to write about it on the bathroom walls all over town so it was only a matter of the next day before everyone knew." I told them surprised at the tears that threatened to fall while I was telling them.

I continued to stroke Carlos' head and hair while I was telling them this not looking at either one. It made telling it easier to not have to look at them. Maybe psychiatrists were on to something making you lie down and look at the ceiling and not them when you visited them. Because lying here looking at the ceiling I was spilling my guts.

"Of course my parents found out and were once again embarrassed and disappointed in their daughter all though my dad threatened to kill him and I enjoyed that but as it turns out Joe was safe as he left for the Navy the next day." I told them. Carlos' head moved a little but then settled back down within my touch.

I think he was enjoying me touching him as much as I was enjoying it. What I wouldn't do to feel his lips on mine. Part of me wanted to fist my hand in his hair and drag him to me but I managed to refrain. I felt like it would be the wrong time especially considering the conversation we were having.

"The reason I say I can handle Joe is because the next time I saw him two years later when he returned from service I ran him over with my dad's Buick. I saw him walking down the side walk and anger flew into me the next thing I know he was bouncing off of the hood of the Buick and in the process managed to break his leg." I told them and Lester was howling in laughter. Carlos was smiling at me with that look he gets when he tells me he is proud of me. He gives me a nod letting me know that I am right.

"I told him to leave me alone and never come around me again or I would do more than break his leg and from that day until he came here looking for me he has left me alone." I told them and I felt Carlos relax more under my hand.

I was exhausted it was time for some sleep. "Carlos you think Bobby could come give me a little pain medicine maybe like some Advil or something. I am tired, actually exhausted and since I had my coughing bout I am in pain." I confessed and he nodded. I needed to get some sleep.

"Sure Babe let me get him." Carlos said rising his head from the bed breaking our connection which I wasn't happy about but at least he was calling Bobby for me.

**RPOV**

Bobby came and gave her some pain medication and it wasn't anytime that she was sound asleep. Lester was still in the room sitting on the foot of her bed and I was sitting in the chair holding her hand toying with her fingers. I was running the conversation we had just had through my head.

"Lester I want you to find out everything there is to know about Joe Morelli." He nodded. "Lester I am serious everything. I want to know down to the toothpaste that fucker uses." I told him barely controlling the anger.

The monster within me wanted his blood. The only thing that kept me from storming out and hunting that fucker down was the fact that my Babe was touching me. I offered her my head to touch and rub to keep the monster within me calm and from doing anything stupid until I had the whole story from her.

"I got it man everything. What are you planning on doing with it?" He questions smiling knowing I am asking because of how involved I have become with Stephanie. Fucker, always likes to make a point at my expense.

"You let me worry about that. Don't make more out of this than what it is." I warned him and he laughed again.

"Man I haven't seen you act like this, ever. How am I not going to make more out of it? Face it any other woman and you wouldn't have given her a second glance let alone done all of this. The question is why this one, why her?" He said but I just looked at him. I wasn't about to answer his fucking question. In truth I had no idea why her why now other than the mission and the woman's life I had to take. There was no doubt I was more fucked up than I have ever been but I wasn't going to tell him all of that.

He finally shrugged and dropped it knowing I wasn't going to answer him.

"Look I just need to know about Morelli so go find out what I want everything and anything about his career and if you can find out if he hopes to advance and if so into what type of jobs." I told Lester and he nodded.

"So you are going to bring Beautiful here to Rangeman when she is released?" He asked me not really a question but giving me the benefit of the doubt.

I nodded. "Yeah, I would like to if she agrees to it. It would be better for her we could keep her mother and Joe away while she heals and Bobby would be there to provide her the best physical therapy." I told him and he nodded.

"You do realize having her in the building is going to turn the place upside down you know?" He told me and I just looked at him raising an eyebrow I needed to know more I needed to know why he felt that way.

"Man look at her, she is Beautiful. She is sweet. The guys, all of the guys, are going to love her and they are going to be fighting over who gets her attention and how much they get. There will be contests to win to see who gets to spend time with her." He says and I think he is taking it to the extreme but if one of those fuckers thinks they are moving in on what is mine they have another contest to win and that is beating my ass on the mats. Which none of them combined can do. So they can just fuck off.

"We will see about that." I tell him. Fuck the only way for this to work is for me to say she is mine and direct my men to be reminded of that when they are with her. I want them helping her I just don't want them trying to fuck her or trying to make her theirs because she is mine. Holy shit! She is mine and I am hers. Fuck I don't even know if this is something she wants. Does she want to be mine? Does she want me to be hers? Fuck.

This is why it is so much easier when you just fucked them and walked away.

**Let me know what you think…Leave a review!**


	27. Chapter 27: A Heart Opens

**Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! For those that have Private messages turned off that left Reviews thank you for the reviews! I love reading every one of them so keep them coming.**

**I want to Thank Margaret Fowler for encouraging this story out of me. When I mentioned it to you 6 – 7 months ago you didn't let it die in my head. You kept pressing for it so here it is finally being written! I hope it is everything you thought it would be.**

**Standard Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine. They belong to JE I just take them out of the box and play with them a little. I have begged to keep Ranger and Lester for myself but I have yet to get a response… **

**Chapter 27: A Heart Opens**

**RPOV**

Lester left to go do what I had asked him to do. It wasn't so much of an order as much as it was just something I asked. I knew it wouldn't take him long before he would be back with information. I sat staring at my Babe. Thinking how I could get her to be mine. Could my life lend itself to a relationship with her? Would she want me in her life as a boyfriend, now how fucking stupid did that sound? Me a boyfriend, there wasn't anything boy or friendly about me. Just ask anyone who knew me they would tell you it was an oxymoron to say I was a boyfriend.

But then what was I partner, significant other, lover, or husband? I definitely wasn't fucking husband material we will keep that off of the plate. Why did I have to be anything other than who I was? Why did she have to be anything other than who she was? And if we decided to try this then we could just be with each other without the labels of boyfriend, girlfriend, or significant other. Couldn't we? Women were so confusing always having to have a label for everything.

How could I be a lover when there was no love within me? You needed a fucking heart to love something and I didn't have a heart. I knew how to fuck, I knew how to walk away, I didn't know how to love, I didn't know how to make love. I didn't know how to stay. Fuck how was I going to do this?

She deserved better than me. I was nothing but a heartless bastard. Oh I had money I could offer her. She would never want anything. She could buy anything and everything her heart desired and not cause me to blink twice. But I had learned enough about her that she wouldn't care about that. That wouldn't be selling point for her.

In fact I would love it, if she would spend my money. That I would be providing for her wants, desires, and needs. The sheer thought of that made something in me feel good. But beyond that I had little to nothing to offer her but a life spent in fear of enemies, a life spent with looking over her shoulder because of the danger being with me would pose to her. The safest thing I could do for her would be to walk away and never look back. I knew this, but I also knew I would never walk away.

To love someone required a heart of which I didn't have. That had been established a long time ago. My soul was beyond what it needed to be to love someone, to care for someone the way a husband would a wife. I mean I was willing to protect her, I was willing to die for her to keep her safe but that was something I was always willing to do. Every mission, every client I contracted with to keep safe those stakes were the same. It was no different with my men I would do the same for them. It was nothing different that I had those feelings for Stephanie. Those weren't special feelings reserved for her.

My willingness to spend my money on her wasn't special. Granted I didn't willingly spend it like I was talking for any other woman but the money meant nothing to me. Other than the fact I liked being able to buy the best of the best. Have the best of the best. I came for a middle America family we had what we needed not a whole lot of what we wanted beyond that but on occasions we got something we wanted. When I went into the military it was to stay out of trouble it was to keep my sorry pathetic ass out of jail for boosting cars.

The military didn't make me rich the missions made me rich. It seems Uncle Sam was willing to pay big bucks for certain things and I cashed in. I started Rangeman which turned out to be a major successful and extremely profitable security business and the wealth just continued to rack up. I invested in other companies and other things that only added to my wealth.

I wasn't even sweating walking away from my contract with the Government I had plenty of money and I didn't need their money to deal with their bullshit. I wasn't hurting for money and I no longer needed to depend on them. I could have cut them lose years ago but I hadn't because I did enjoy the hunt and the kill of the job.

I was ripped from my thoughts when I heard her speak. Looking at her she was still sleep. What had she said? I moved closer to her hoping she would repeat what she had said.

"I want to stay." I heard her say

Where does she want to stay here, Rangeman, is it someplace else? I feel something catch in my chest as I move my head closer to her bed resting on the mattress looking up at her.

"Where do you want to stay Babe?" I whisper to her unable to keep the words from tumbling out of my mouth.

"Carlos." I heard my name and the burning feeling within my chest became more pronounced. I reach my free hand up and rub my chest. I know I am not having a heart attack though it feels like something is going on with my heart. I just have no idea what it is. I rub it to ease the sting within.

I am not sure if she is just recognizing my voice and calling my name or if she is saying she wants to stay with me.

"Heart full of love" I hear her mumble. Her heart is full of love? Is she saying she loves me? No way I am not someone you love. I am someone you fear, I am someone you hire for protection. I am someone incapable of returning that love. I don't know how to love. Maybe she wasn't talking about me maybe it was someone else she loved. That thought caused more pain to run across my chest.

"I don't deserve his love." I hear her say and I feel as though if I wasn't sitting down I would have fallen to the floor. Oh Babe you got it all wrong. Is she talking about me? God I want her to be talking about me. I want her love. I want to deserve her love. I want to be the man worthy of her love.

"Babe you got that wrong. If you are talking about me it is I who doesn't deserve your love." I whispered to her. I saw her eyebrows knit together and I wondered if she could actually hear what I was saying.

"I am too much trouble." I heard her say. I wanted to shake my head and argue with her but then it seemed kind of stupid arguing with a person who is asleep.

She would never be too much trouble. Was I capable of giving her what she deserved? Was I capable of loving her? Could I love her? Am I capable of loving her? I wanted to love her. Holy shit I actually want to love her.

I want to be that man, for her.

"Babe you need to wake up and get better." I told her willing her to wake up and get better so I could tell her that I wanted her. I wanted to ask her to be mine to come to Rangeman with me and never leave.

Holy shit what am I getting myself into? Am I able to do this? I can't start this with her and then learn that I can't do this I can't hurt her like that. Before I say anything to her I have to know that I can do this. How the fuck am I suppose to figure that out without doing it? Fuck. This is harder than I ever imagined.

I can't hurt her. I will never hurt her. My chest hurt again at the thought of hurting her.

I move my chair closer holding her hand in both of mine I pull it toward my face as I move my head to rest against her bed. Holding her hand to the side of my face I close my eyes and pray that I am able to be the man she needs me to be and that it is me that she wants to love her.

**LPOV**

I had walked out the of the door at the hospital looking at Hal and Bones I told them "Only her medical staff gets through the door and knock on the door before you let them in." I knew I had left Ranger something to chew on and I knew he needed time to think it over.

Part of me was only too happy to point out to him the way having her at Rangeman was going to turn things inside out. I knew he was like me but I also knew how much he was attached to that little brown haired blue eyed vixen in the room and I knew that changed the game for him.

She was beautiful. She had something about her that drew you to her. You wanted to be the object of her affection. You wanted to be the reason that she smiled at least I felt that way and I knew Ranger felt that way and more.

I needed to wake him up and tell him exactly what was going to happen when she came to Rangeman. So he could prepare himself and make some decisions before he left the hospital room. While he was there with her alone he needed to decide how much he really wanted her or didn't. If he didn't want her he needed to step aside to someone else who did want her.

Ranger asked me to check into Joe. After hearing Beautiful the only thing I wanted to do was knock him out again. I pulled up in front of his house it was the middle of the day. I parked stepped out of the car. Sometimes the best way to investigate someone is act as you aren't out of place. Just move as if you belong there and don't act like you are sneaking or act like you don't belong. That only draws attention to you. It is better when you hide in plain sight. I walked up on the porch reached in my pocket as if I had a key. Opened the door and proceeded to make myself at home.

He lived in a little two story house. Obviously this wasn't his pick probably given to him by someone in his family. The furniture looked like something from the seventies possibly older. The TV however was modern. The kitchen looked like someone's kitchen from the fifties. I opened the little rounded top refrigerator and had to smile at the irony; filled with beer. I shut the door. What the hell did the man eat, obviously nothing from this kitchen.

His living room had a few empty beer bottles sitting around but it wasn't too bad. I figured he had someone clean the house for him because it was dust free and I didn't see Joe domesticated enough to clean or dust. He had a few movies all action so he didn't have a woman living with him. I opened the drawer in the cabinet near the TV moving the TV guide I saw the porn movies, figures.

I closed the drawer and made my way out of the room. The living room had old furniture clearly not something Joe purchased. It was clearly a room that he never used so I moved on walking up the stairs the bedroom was a disaster. I couldn't help but think typical of a single guy. The bed was torn up looking like a dog slept in it rather than a person. Didn't he know if you bring a girl home you should have a bed that looked like something she would want to lie down on? Not some bed that would make her feel like she was lying with a dog, even if it was true that the woman was lying with a dog when she was in the bed with him.

I walked around pulled open the bedside drawer full of condoms and porn. I shut the drawer shaking my head. He was so predictable. I suspected he used the porn magazines more than the condoms. Didn't he know women didn't want to see men with porn magazines? It wasn't cool. It wasn't like men didn't have porn but you made sure you kept the porn separate from the condoms. We all liked to look but it was clear he was doing more than looking. Pitiful maybe if he kept his bed in better shape he wouldn't mind bringing a real woman over instead of jacking off to porn magazines like a creeper.

He was such a fucking amateur.

His bathroom was worse than the bedroom and I didn't step in any further than looking through the doorway. Tub scum, sink scum, toilet rings on top of toilet rings; the lid up. Even I got a little sick looking at it. How the fuck did he live like that? No woman would want to step into his bathroom to freshen up even if she decided to lie on the dog bed.

I didn't have a problem seeing his toothpaste of choice, Colgate; it was lying on the sink cap off, no surprises there. It was clear looking at it he didn't push the toothpaste from the bottom he squeezed the tube however his hand grabbed it.

I shuddered looking at the room backing out of the door. What a fucking pig in more than one way.

I made my way out of his house; it had told me everything I wanted to know. I walked to my car and made my way to the station. I figured I could find someone who was willing to talk about Joe. I had a few guys on the force that would talk to me.

I walked in and saw Eddie he was a pretty cool guy. He had been friendly and I didn't think he was such a big fan of Joe's. I had never seen them hanging out or talking to each other so I figured he was safe.

"Hey man what's up?" I asked him and he smiled at me.

"Hey Lester what brings you by?" He asks me bumping fists with me.

"Well I came by to ask some questions and get some information." I tell him.

"Ask away I will help you if I can."

"How well do you know Joe?" I asked him and he smiled.

"I know you knocked his ass out with one punch at the hospital earlier today." He said smiling from ear to ear. Like I thought he wasn't a fan.

"I invoke the fifth." I tell him and he joins me laughing.

"No seriously I need to know, what kind of cop is he?" I ask.

"As a cop he is decent I would even say good. As a person well that is another story." He says. Oh really?

"What do you mean?" I ask him.

"Well I don't know how much history you know about the Morelli name." He says and I find myself thinking I know more than I ever wanted to know. I know enough that I want there to be one less Morelli in this world.

"I know some of Joe's history." I tell him not going into details and he raises his eyebrows to me as he catches on to what I am referring to.

"Let me guess, this lead to you knocking his sorry ass out?" He asked and I tipped my head not saying anything one way or the other but enough that he knew the answer without having to ask additional questions.

"Well his dad was a drunk and abusive. He died when Joe was young." I wasn't sure why he was telling me this maybe as a crutch or an excuse for his behavior. I didn't believe in crutches or excuses when it came to forcing yourself on someone. There was no excuse.

"Anyway he is really the only Morelli man that didn't follow in those footsteps." He says and I can't help but think he was wrong about that. He had forced himself on Stephanie; he had a refrigerator full of beer not to mention his porn collection. The porn wasn't that bad but I could put the whole picture together and what I was picturing I didn't see much difference between Joe and what I imagined his dad was like. The only thing he hadn't done was hit a woman at least I hadn't heard of him doing that but I wondered if under the right circumstance would he actually be any different. My guess was he wouldn't.

For now I would give him the benefit of the doubt and just let Eddie's comment drop without argument.

"Does Morelli have any career goals?" I asked him and Eddie nodded.

"Yeah man he wants to join the FBI. He has tried several times in the past but never made it one reason or the other." He told me. I couldn't help but think I wonder why. He probably failed the background check or the psychological exam. I was sensing something unstable about him and I bet it came out during the tests or the checks.

"Anything else I need to know?" I asked him and he just looked at me shrugged.

"How much do you want to know?" He asked me and it was my turn to shrug. Did I have enough to make Ranger happy? I still needed to do a background check on him which would tell me more. I needed to delve into his finances make sure there wasn't anything going on there. But what else could Eddie tell me?

"I don't know man just whatever you want to share." I said

"Well between you and me his drinking is picking up but so far it hasn't affected his work. So there is really no complaint there from anyone on the force or anyone he has dealt with as a police officer. There have been no complaints on him." He tells me but I see the question in his eyes and I too see where there could be problems but no complaint filed. Then again that could be a little wishful thinking on my part.

I nod. I know that the background check will probably pull anything like that out to light typically when shit like that happened money changed hands and he would have money or possessions that he wasn't able to justify.

"Thanks Eddie I will let you know if I have any additional questions or need any more information." I told him and turned to make my way out of the station. I pulled on my shades on as I walk out of the building to my SUV to head back to Rangeman.

I had background reports to run.

**SPOV**

I woke up to Carlos sitting beside me his head on the bed. My hand caught between his hand and his head. His eyes were closed and I wondered if he was actually asleep or if he just had his eyes closed.

I stayed still just looking at him. In his sleep he looked vulnerable, he looked at peace, he looked calm something that he didn't show when was awake. He never looked vulnerable. He looked at peace and calm but there was something that was always just below the surface ready to pounce at the first sign of trouble or a threat.

He lived his life one threat to another and I briefly wondered how that would feel. Constantly looking over your shoulder thinking an enemy has found you. It had to be tiring. It had to be exhausting. How could you live one day after the other with these things hanging over you? Could I live like that?

He seemed to do it but did he have any happiness in his life, any love? My fingers ached to move and stroke his soft smooth skin his silky hair but I forced them to remain still. I knew if I moved he would wake up and I wanted to take these sacred moments to just study the man before me that is comfortable enough with me to sleep with his head on my bed.

He trusted me. He trusted me enough to sleep. The thought of that hitting me was almost overwhelming. It was a wonderful feeling that this beautiful, sexy, gorgeous man trusted me enough to be vulnerable in front of me; to sleep. For a man like him I am not sure there is any higher honor.

Of course I knew it was misplaced trust because it wasn't like I was in any shape to protect him, to defend him. Not that he would need it. It would be sort of like a lamb trying to protect the lion with the condition I was in. Even at my best physical condition it would still be the lamb protecting the lion. But I would be willing. I would do whatever I could to protect him defend him from any danger.

While the lamb may not be able to protect the lion the lamb can distract for the lion. Sometimes that is all that is needed a distraction to make the outcome different.

Looking at him I knew I wanted to be with him. I wanted to stand beside him I didn't care what dangers he spoke of. He said he had enemies and at this moment in time I didn't care. I just wanted him to love me. I wanted to be in his arms. I wanted to hold him in my arms. I wanted him to allow me to love him.

I wasn't naïve I knew this man was out of my league. He was beautiful, he was gorgeous, he was put together hell even being in the hospital room with me day in and day out he still looked like something that had stepped out of the pages of GQ where I looked like something that would be lying in a ditch somewhere. If it weren't for Ella it would be even worse.

I needed to find a way to pay her back for caring for me. It was something that was much appreciated. A thought popped into my head while I thought about Ella. Who helped her with me? Did she have help when she was giving me my bath? Washing my hair? If so who? Had Carlos helped her? Had he seen me? I blushed at the thoughts. Embarrassed if he had seen my body in the condition it was in.

I knew there was nothing sexy about my body. The last couple of months had not been easy on me. I had lost a lot of weight. I was no longer what you would consider sexy I was right down scary. The last time I looked at myself in my mirror my cheeks were sunken, my ribs protruded from my body my hip bones jutted out from my body and my stomach was sunken in. How was it if he had seen me that he was still sitting here beside me?

It was hideous, it was sickening and it was something that if someone didn't have to look at they wouldn't. They would avoid the pictures, the thoughts, and the sight of me. Yet he was here. He was here with me. He hadn't left.

I wasn't sure how I felt about that. Part of me wanted to leap for joy my heart beats increasing pounding against my chest at the thoughts of him being with me, staying with me. The other part of me wanted to be embarrassed, ashamed and I had a strong desire to try to explain my body. But he knew he already knew all my problems and yet he stayed. He was here regardless. I wasn't sure I had ever had anyone in my life support me the way he had in this short time. I had never had anyone who wanted to be there with me without judgment and only want to help me and support me. I guess the closest person I had was Mary Lou.

But even with Mary Lou I was afraid for her to see me the way I was because I was afraid of what she would say and what she would demand of me. I could trust her with my secrets but even she judged though I knew it wasn't like my mother, or the others from the burg.

My fingers betrayed my body and stroked his face and hair his face shifted his eyes locking with mine.

"Hi" I whispered to him.

"Hi" he said leaving his head and hand where they were as my fingers caressed the side of his face.

"So I might get out of here?" I asked him and he nodded.

"Yeah I think so. Bobby is talking with the team now." He said and I nodded.

"I know where I want to go." I told him and he looked at me with his eyebrow cocked up encouraging me to continue.

"I want to go with you." I told him hoping like hell he wanted the same thing. He had said that he wanted me with him. Well he had said he wanted me to go to Rangeman I hope he hadn't changed his mind. I only hoped he also wanted me to go with him. I was waiting in nervous anticipation of his answer. What if he turned me down? What if he didn't want me? Oh God what did I just say?.

He smiled big as he rose up from the chair to hover over me.

"Oh Babe, I am glad to hear that, you have no idea how glad I am to hear that." he said as his lips gently touched mine.

**Tell me what you think….Leave a review!**


	28. Author Note on Friday's update

**Author's note concerning Friday's 6/8 chapter posting **

I typically do not like when I am reading a story and the author puts up a chapter with just an Author's note. However, I feel this is an important note that deserves attention so I am making an exception to one of my rules and putting up an author's note.

Starting Friday at 3:00 a.m. EDT – Sunday 3:00 p.m. EDT there is a plan Ban on FanFic. The ban is to protest the resent stories that Fan Fiction has pulled. Because of this I will not be putting a chapter up on Friday.

You all know that my story updates every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and I hate that I won't be updating this Friday but I feel this is a good cause that should be supported.

To learn more about the ban, read the petition and hopefully sign the petition you can follow the link below. Please note that you need to change the (dot) to an actual . in order for it to work.

www(dot)change(dot)org/petitions/fanfiction-net-stop-the-destruction-of-fanfiction-net?utm_campaign=friend_inviter_action_box&utm_medium=facebook&utm_source=share_petition

Being an author (term used loosely) on Fanfic this subject is important to me. I believe we should have the freedom to write what we want and that Fanfic should have more appropriate aged ratings as well as consider allowing MA postings. If you agree please sign the petition and support the BAN.

For those of you who are looking forward to my chapter I promise that I will make that chapter up to you next week! Either I will do an extended chapter or post an additional chapter next week. Thank you all so much for your overwhelming support of my story!

Take Care,  
Amanda


	29. Chapter 28: Welcome to Rangeman

**Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! For those that have Private messages turned off that left Reviews thank you for the reviews! I love reading every one of them so keep them coming.**

**I want to Thank Margaret Fowler for encouraging this story out of me. When I mentioned it to you 6 – 7 months ago you didn't let it die in my head. You kept pressing for it so here it is finally being written! I hope it is everything you thought it would be.**

**Standard Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine. They belong to JE I just take them out of the box and play with them a little. I have begged to keep Ranger and Lester for myself but I have yet to get a response… **

**Chapter 28: Welcome to Rangeman**

**SPOV**

My lips were still tingling from his lips having touched mine. His kiss was so light, so tender that it felt like he had barely touched me yet the tingle was so strong that I could still feel where his lips hand been there a half hour ago.

Carlos wasn't kidding when he said that Bobby was working on getting me out of the hospital. I was currently in a black SUV being curried to Rangeman. Carlos also wasn't kidding when he said he took my safety serious. It took them longer to discuss how I was going to leave the hospital than it did for the nurse to get me ready to go.

In the end they agreed on leaving through a service entrance. I felt like royalty. I was escorted out of the hospital surrounded by beautiful bodies in tight black t-shirts and cargo pants. I was forced to ride in a wheelchair but I guess when left with the other options it was better than walking out not that they would have probably allowed me to walk out anyway.

Bobby said my choices were ride in the chair or be carried out and while I thought about being pressed up against Carlos' hard body as being a treat I didn't think it would feel all that great on my ribs so I opted for the chair.

Besides going out the service entrance had me feeling like a celebrity or royalty. I was half expecting a fan to run up to me and demand an autograph. Needless to say there were no fans, no requests for autographs just big black SUVs waiting for me with more men in black standing beside the doors. One thing for sure they took safety serious. It was overkill for me but I didn't say anything. They seemed to be in a groove and I just watched and went along with the plan, however crazy it was.

We got in the middle SUV and I had to smile, didn't they know everyone always knows that the important people travelled in the middle SUV? I mean watch movies they always blow up the first and the last one and the one in the middle well those passengers get kidnapped.

I guess getting kidnapped is better than being blown up but hey you would think they would mix it up a little bit but then would be kidnappers would then blow up the one they were trying to kidnapped so when I thought about it like that maybe I was happy they hadn't decided to mix it up, at least not on me.

Not that anyone would be out there ready to kidnap me. I mean who in the hell would want to kidnap me I came with more debit then I did anything else and it wasn't like anyone would pay a damn penny to get me back. Hell my mom would probably be like you took her you keep her maybe you can do something with her I was never able to do like talk her into getting a job that doesn't end in disgrace or finding a husband willing to support her. I shudder at the thoughts.

Which brings me back to the present we are proceeding down the high way at what feels like an increase speed which felt significantly over the speed limit, but I don't point this out. I don't know who is driving but Lester is in the front, and Carlos is in the back with me. I am sitting in the middle and Bobby is sitting beside me. I am doing my best not to show how every little bump of the vehicle sends a wave of pain throughout my body.

There was no doubt that by the time I got wherever it was they were taking me I was going to be in serious pain. Just sitting up in the car was painful let along the bumpy streets of Trenton. Didn't they know to pave over all of these damn potholes? I mean really. I guess we paid the governor too much money to afford a little road maintenance.

I closed my eyes and I thought about that kiss. My lips started tingling at the thought. I felt my fingers touch my lips I wasn't able to stop my good hand from touching them at the memory. His lips were so soft. They were so full; so completely perfect. Of course they were perfect I mean he is perfect. There has never been a man more perfect. The current that ran through my body when his lips touched mine was so strong it felt like my heart had been jumped started like a car battery.

When his lips touched mine my heart surged forward in my body pumping double time, my breath hitched as though I could no longer breath and it literally felt like the world had topped before me and stood still. How can you feel all of that from a single peck on the lips?

I mean there was no tongue action, there was no heated embrace where he took me in his arms bent me over and passionately kissed me. It wasn't the kind of kiss where lips were locked together until someone couldn't hold out and had to come up for air. It was a simple kiss. A peck on the lips his lips touching mine but even in such simplicity it was so much more.

The so much more, that simple kiss held had me holding my breath, had my heart beating to a rhythm that would make Def Leopard proud and maybe a little envious. It definitely had me wanting to scream 'pour your sugar on me, in the name of love' at the top of my lungs. It had muscles deep down in my lower stomach contracting with desire, want, and need. How could a simple kiss hold all of that?

I stole looks around the SUV happy that all seemed to still be in their own little zones even Carlos seemed as though he wasn't tuning me in. I can't help but say I felt a little disappointed but I am not sure I would want him to know my thoughts and I was also happy that I had refrained from embarrassing myself by saying all of that out loud.

It didn't seem like any time had passed before we were turning into the underground parking lot. The big metal bar gate lifted allowing us entry and we quickly parked.

"Welcome home Beautiful." Lester said with a huge grin and I was torn between feeling happy and smiling back and feeling extremely nervous. Was this going to be my home? I mean I was here for my physical therapy but hadn't thought about it being my home. Was this home to the guys? Was this home to Carlos? What the hell had I gotten myself into?

"Babe, don't let him bother you. This building is our home. We all have apartments within in the building. We work here and live here it is one way we keep ourselves safe. The security for this building is the best money can buy. You will be safe here." He told me. Here we go again with me being safe. I was safe in my home with a deadbolt I didn't need anything else? Did I?

My inner voice answered for me if you are going to be with him you need more. You heard him, he has enemies. I shuddered at the thought for more than one reason.

I nodded feeling a different kind of tightening in my stomach. Carlos broke the knot within from further tightening when he spoke.

"Babe, the men here are going to be curious about you. I am sure they have heard about you, I am sure all of the offices have heard about you. This is something that I have never done before and I am quite certain all of my men are talking about it. Please know it has nothing to do with you. It is me that they are talking about. However, if you hear something that you don't like or something that makes you feel uncomfortable please let one of us know and we will deal with it."

Oh god, were they going to hate me? What were they saying about him and I? What did he mean if I heard something I didn't like to tell him and he would deal with it? How would he deal with it? Questions flew through my mind, my stomach tightened further as nerves gripped me. I was just to the point of starting to shake from my nerves.

"Babe it's okay. You are making more out of it than you need to. The guys are good guys." He told me and I felt the tension ebb a little bit but I was still extremely nervous.

The door opened and Carlos stepped out. They had the wheelchair waiting for me great. The first time these men get to meet me and I am going to be in a wheelchair; great. Little miss helpless who can't even walk on her own comes to live with them so they can what exactly? Take care of me, wait on me? Oh shit what I have done? What have I gotten myself into?

I smiled and nodded. I peeked out of the car and saw Lester, Bobby, Carlos, Cal, he has the flaming skull tattoo that looks cool even though it is an odd place to get a tattoo, and another guy that I had seen at the hospital but didn't know his name. He had been one of the door guard dogs. If he were a dog I would definitely say he was a pit bull. He had that bad ass stance, with that wide neck from working out the veins popping out in his arms his short buzzed off blond hair. His face was well beautiful but his eyes were tough, hard, there was nothing soft about this man at least not from looking at him. Not that there was anything soft about any of the men I had seen so far.

"Ready Babe?" Carlos asked me and I looked at him and nodded. He was smiling slightly and I looked to Lester, Bobby and Cal and saw smirks on their faces and I knew I had said some of that out loud.

My face flamed solid red embarrassed.

"Out loud?" I asked and Lester nodded laughing.

"Yeah Beautiful, you said that out loud but it's all good. Ram sort of does look like a pit bull. Besides I am sure he would rather be compared to a pit bull than a teacup poodle that rides around in a ladies pocket books. Or maybe with that blond buzz cut he could be one of those hairless dogs."

"Chinese Crested?" I found myself answering before I realized my lips were moving and Lester broke out into a full blown laughter. Ram scowled at him.

"Yeah Beautiful Chinese Crested, maybe we will get him one of those bling collars to wear." He said laughing.

"Fuck you Lester." Ram quickly added. Oh shit I wasn't sure he liked being the center of Lester's attention. He looked at me oh shit I felt myself shake from his gaze.

"It's not my fault, I said you were a pitbull." Trying my best to deflect his attention away from me and back on to Lester, he could take it. I was surprised anything came out of my mouth as scared as I was. But maybe it was all I could think of at the moment for survival it wasn't like I could fight and in my condition flight was out. So all I had left was the defense of it wasn't me it was him.

Ram smiled slightly at me and the tension within me released a little I think he was playing…at least I think he was. The smile made me think he was. I felt myself release a held breath.

I looked to Carlos who was smiling standing in the opening of the door.

"You ready Babe?" I nodded. He reached in a gently lifted me. I started to protest I was too heavy. "Babe I got you." He said and I relaxed. I felt his muscles in his arms as my body was pulled into his. He lifted me as though I weighed nothing. Like I would pick up a piece of paper he lifted me effortlessly. Holy shit how hot is that?

He cradled me into him whispering in my ear "When you are well, I will show you how hot it can be." He said to me and my face flamed bright red. I could feel the heat seeping into my ears. I tucked my head into his chest hoping the others in the room hadn't heard him or seen me.

I was shocked when Carlos lowered himself into the wheelchair and held me in his lap. Sitting in his lap my body was betraying me. Even in the condition I was in my body was very aware of just how close his body was to me. My body parts instinctively knew exactly how close it was to the promise land and trust me when I say my body parts wanted the promise.

Bobby rolled us to the elevator as the other guys followed. We got on the elevator and Carlos pulled out a key fob and pointed it at the elevator pressing a button the number seven lit up but there was no button beside it.

"You can only access the seventh floor by the use of this key fob. The stairwell door and the elevator won't allow you any further than the fifth floor without pressing the button on the key fob." He said and I nodded. I briefly wondered what was on the seventh floor but I didn't ask.

The elevator stops and the doors open. Bobby pushes us out and up to a door where Carlos takes the fob and presses a button and then a series of buttons on the device. I hear a click and then the door starts to open. I notice the door thickness and quickly take note of no door handles or knobs on the outside of the door. So open sesame.

"Babe, the fob unlocks and opens the door. You have to first push the button and then enter the code for the door to unlock and open, it isn't magic." He says amused and I can't help but think damn out loud again.

Oh well could have been worse so I will leave well enough alone.

"Babe this is my apartment. You said you wanted to come with me so I brought you here. If you would feel more comfortable staying in an apartment by yourself or if you want to stay with Ella we can arrange that as well. You tell me." He says looking at me.

I look around the room at the men from the garage and briefly wonder if I should say what I want out loud. I flushed a little bit before clearing my throat so I could speak. My throat was so dry and hoarse.

"Here is fine, I am sure. I can stay on the couch or something." I said and Carlos shook his head once again with an amused look on his face.

"Babe you need your rest so you can heal. You can have the bed. I will take the couch." He said and I let it drop for now but made note to talk about it before bed tonight because I didn't want to displace him from his bed but I was really uncertain about sharing a bed with him. I mean we had just gotten to know each other. I barely knew him. He barely knew me. We hadn't even talked about there being an us other than the fact that he was happy I wanted to come with him. Was there an us? I mean possibly there wasn't an us and here I was taking his bed. Oh what the hell had I gotten myself into?

I was never good at this shit. That is why I have been single and without a boyfriend for so long because I sucked at it. I never knew what to do and when I did something it was never the right thing. I sucked at relationships and while they weren't really important something told me this was important. This one was one that I didn't want to mess up. I couldn't afford to mess this one up.

Carlos stood up with me in his arms again as though it was zero effort on his part. He moved gracefully to the couch and gently sat me down on the end of the couch. He then stood.

"Babe, can I get anything for you? Are you hungry, thirsty?" He asked me.

"Water would be great." I told him and he nodded turning to walk out of the room. Now that was a sight that I wouldn't mind seeing on a daily basis. What was that saying? I hate to see you go but I love watching you walk away. Oh that fit Carlos. I could feel the drool pool in my mouth as the rest of my body invited the tightening of the muscles deep within my lower abdomen.

"Stephanie, how is the pain?" Bobby broke me out of my spell of being lost in thoughts Carlos luscious ass. The question focused me back on myself and the pain had gotten noticeably worse but I didn't want to take anything too strong. I didn't want to be knocked out just yet.

"It's okay for now." I told him lying slightly. He gave me a look that basically told me he didn't believe me but he allowed me to get by with it. I smiled at my triumph. It wasn't but a moment longer before Carlos came back in with waters for everyone. He tossed the guys theirs and opened mine and handed it to me. I took a sip and decided that just wasn't enough to quench the thirst I had.

So I greedily started sucking it down practically gulping it.

"Babe you can have all you want you don't need to make yourself sick, try drinking slower." He said and I nodded but between the nervousness and my thirst I found it difficult to go slower. Of course drinking the way I was wasn't helping the level of pain in fact it was making it worse.

I began to drink slower and relax a little bit as Carlos sat down beside me.

There was a knock at the door. I don't know who got the door but Tank walked into the living room. Carlos stood walking over to him they bumped fists and did some complicated hand shake that I would never be able to figure out.

"Hey man good to have you home." Tank said and Carlos nodded.

"How is the little patient today?" He asked and I wanted to be offended by him calling me little but when I took in his size I figured most people were little to him and well I was little compared to all of these men. I had to look up to all of them and in some cases some of them would tower over me but so far I hadn't feared any of them, including Tank.

I am not sure why I hadn't feared them. It was clear they liked it when people feared them. They dressed to intimidate in their all black. Black cargos, black tight t-shirts which accentuated every muscle in their arms, and their weapons some of which were in plain sight and I am sure there were a few that weren't. Carlos had two guns and a knife I could see. Lester had two guns, and two knives that I saw. Tank was two guns but I didn't see a knife but I suspected he had one the rest seemed to. Of course Tank my not bother with a knife because if you got close enough for Tank to use a knife well he could probably just kill you with a lethal blow.

They seemed to take their weapons seriously. Part of me wanted to say boys and their toys but I felt like this was far more than just toys to them. Carlos had said it they had enemies these weapons where for their protection. In that moment I was glad for everyone they had and wondered if they room on their bodies for more.

Just how bad were these enemies? I had an enemy her name was Joyce Burnhardt and I hated her. I called her Joyce Barnyard because she would open those legs for any animal. Her barn didn't have an unwelcome sign on it. She made it a point to go after every boyfriend I ever had. She was the woman I found with the Dick when my mother was so focused on getting me married to him. Luckily that had happened before we had said I do, that saved me a huge mistake. I almost forgave my mortal enemy and sent her a thank you card. But I refrained in the end. I didn't want her to think that I actually liked her.

Just because she had done me a favor I wasn't her friend and never would be her friend. The thought of her going after Carlos made my blood boil. I looked at him accessing would he find her tempting? Would he fuck her behind my back like every other man I knew? I closed my eyes unable to think about the answer to those questions. Somehow no other boyfriend had managed to not fuck her or let her fuck them however it was they wanted to rationalize what had happened between them and her.

This was a bad idea i had gotten myself into another heart break situation only this one had the potential to rip my heart out. How could I have dropped my guard and gotten myself into this. Damn this pain and fucking pain medicines. Damn my defenses were down I hadn't thought about the barnyard bitch and what his reaction would be to her until now. And now I feared it was too late. What the hell had I done?

"Babe, are you okay?" Carlos said sitting back down beside me. I opened my eyes looking at him and saw him gasp a little. Shit, he is reading my mind again. I put a smile forward and nodded that I was okay.

My thoughts had me in a place I didn't want to be. My mind was in a state that I didn't want to deal with and I definitely didn't want to have to discuss any of this with Carlos. Now or ever, well maybe not ever but at least not any time in the near future.

Shit.

"The pain is getting worse. I think I need to take something." I told him hoping that he would believe that was the reason for the pain I know he saw in my eyes. I am not sure he bought it when he turned his head sideways accessing me as if trying to discern if I had lied to him. My inner voice was nodding her head and telling all but my outer voice said nothing. He eventually nodded.

"Bobby I think Stephanie needs some pain medicine." He called into the other room and I felt the whoosh of air expel from my lungs in relief that he believed me. I needed him to believe me I wasn't ready to discuss this with him right now. We needed to talk about so much more before I could talk to him about my arch nemesis the woman that would be hunting him down to fuck him the first chance she got.

"Stephanie I thought you said you didn't need any pain medication." Bobby said and I nodded.

"I know but I think I do need some. The pain seems to be getting worse." I told him. It wasn't a lie the pain was worse that was true but if it hadn't been for these thoughts floating around in my head I could have dealt with the pain. I needed to escape the inner inquisition, the questions, as well as these thoughts so the pain was a good excuse.

He nodded and proceeded to put two tablets in my hand I quickly swallowed them with the last of my water.

Tank walked over to me "Ms. Plum welcome to Rangeman." He said. I nodded but then decided to fix the whole Ms. Plum crap that was my mother and I didn't need to have thoughts of her. She would never approve of this and I would never live this down with her. I already knew I would never see pineapple upside down cake again in my life.

"Tank, is it okay if I call you Tank?" I asked the big man before me. He smiled and nodded.

"Well then please call me Stephanie, or Steph but none of this Ms. Plum crap. That's my mother and right now I do not need to be further reminded of my mother." I told him.

"Well in that case Stephanie welcome to Rangeman." He said and I smiled at him. He returned my smile with his one and in that moment I saw a different man standing before me. I felt like I had been gifted a gift; a smile. I somehow sensed he didn't give those often and for those lucky enough to get one well it was a gift.

Lester walked in and sat down on the chair across from me.

"Beautiful what is up with your mother anyway?" He asked me. Oh brother how to answer that question.

"Lester that is a loaded question which could take me days to answer but the short of it is that I have managed to disappoint and embarrass my mother for most of my life. If she knew I was here in a building with a bunch of men she wouldn't approve. She would first accuse me of having sex with every man in this building and then she would tell me how embarrassed and disappointed she was in my behavior and how everyone will talk about me and she will have to deal with hearing all of it. How the world will know she failed in raising a respectful daughter. Finally she would tell me that I will never have pineapple upside down cake for the rest of my life."

I didn't mean to add the last part but it sort of just came out. It was true she would most definitely tell me that, I just wasn't ready to share all of that with the world. Damn pain medicine loosening my tongue.

"Damn Beautiful. I knew your mother was a bitch but damn. She would actually say that? She would actually accuse you of fu…having sex with a building full of men? " He asked me and I noticed his little word switch which made me smile.

"Essentially, yes." I told him figuring to keep my answers short and sweet and not elaborate as these pain meds were causing me to say more than I wanted. I didn't need this to be the Stephanie Plum tells all hour.

He let out at a whistle "Beautiful your mom is cold. She takes bitch to a whole new level." He said and I couldn't agree more but I found it odd that hearing him call her a bitch got no reaction whatsoever out of me. Normally I think I would have been pissed just hearing someone I barely knew calling my mother a bitch but for whatever the reason he had said it twice possibly more that I couldn't remember and all my inner voice wanted to do was nod her head in full agreement.

I felt my eyes droop and I knew it would only be moments before I would be out. I hated pain medication because of how they affected me. I was such a light weight. Carlos noticed and reached over and pulled me into his lap then rose off of the couch as if I weighed nothing in his arms. It was effortless.

"Babe I am going to put you to bed before you fall asleep on the couch." He said and I nodded. I was completely unable to speak or protest him putting me in his bed. I didn't want to knock him out of his own bed and I was really uncertain of him sleeping with me. I decided to worry about that tomorrow because right now my mind was unable to concentrate enough to worry about it.

When he laid me down on his bed my body went into sensory overload. His bed was so comfortable, the sheets were supper soft felt like the softest fabric I had ever felt. The mattress was the perfect combination of soft and supportive. The smell from the bedding was of him completely hypnotic. I found myself sniffing the pillows to get more of that heavenly addictive fragrance. Oh a girl could get use to this. I am sure many had.

"Babe you are the first girl to ever sleep in my bed." He said and I couldn't help but think no wonder. Women didn't come to this bed to sleep they came to this bed to make love, or possibly just have sex but this bed wasn't really for sleeping.

"Babe while those thoughts sound like something I would enjoy with you, you are the first woman, with the exception of Ella my housekeeper, who has ever stepped inside this apartment let alone been in my bed." He said smiling. I couldn't help return the smile my cheeks flaming that I had said that out loud. I am not sure if I had or if he was once again just reading me but regardless he knew exactly what I was thinking and even better he managed to have the answer that had me reeling with excitement.

My inner voice had sat up and took note that he had said he would enjoy that with me. She was nodding her head in approval.

He had laid me down but what I didn't expect was what happened next. I felt the bed dip. He was sitting on the other side of the bed. I heard one boot hit the floor followed by the second. I felt the bed move slightly as I felt his warm body move next to mine.

I felt myself being pulled backwards his front to my back with his arm around me Part of me wanted to protest but it felt so damn good to feel him behind me my body touching his. My body just molded to his relaxing into his and that was the last thought I had as sleep claimed me. My thoughts of how wonderful his wide body felt wrapped around mine lying behind me with my body pressed up against him.

**Let me know what you think….Leave a review!**


	30. Chapter 29: At Home

**Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! For those that have Private messages turned off that left Reviews thank you for the reviews! I love reading every one of them so keep them coming.**

**I want to Thank Margaret Fowler for encouraging this story out of me. When I mentioned it to you 6 – 7 months ago you didn't let it die in my head. You kept pressing for it so here it is finally being written! I hope it is everything you thought it would be.**

**Standard Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine. They belong to JE I just take them out of the box and play with them a little. I have begged to keep Ranger and Lester for myself but I have yet to get a response… **

**Chapter 29: At Home**

**RPOV**

I knew when I sat down in the wheelchair and placed Stephanie in my lap I was sending a message to every man in the building. I was telling every one of them that she was mine. I knew that everyone on the fifth floor was probably glued to one of the garage monitors watching us.

If they weren't then it would only be a matter of seconds before everyone knew she was riding in my lap to my apartment.

Once there I knew something was wrong with Stephanie when she was sitting on the couch but when I asked she chose not to open up to me. She chose to tell me it was because she was in pain. I knew she was in pain but I also knew that wasn't the only thing going on with her..

I didn't press the issue not with the apartment full of my men. I would wait and see when it was just her and I if she would tell me. I saw her clouded distanced eyes she was remembering something. She was reliving a memory of some kind and it made her extremely uncomfortable. To the point that she chose to take the pain medication that she had only minutes ago turned down. She was looking for an escape.

Her comments about her Mother had me wishing I could send her Mother to a third world country. I would think of something, some way to get her out of my Babe's hair. She would not be allowed to think, speak of, or treat my babe as if she is a common whore here servicing my men. Just thinking of those thoughts had my blood boiling and me fighting to control the monster within that wanted nothing more than to protect my Babe from any and every threat including her mother's cruel tongue.

I briefly thought of ripping it out but I tabled that idea thinking Babe wouldn't be too happy with me. I mean this is her mother. I had to be more tactful, more creative, and think bigger when it came to avenging my Babe with her mother. It had to be punishment disguised as something good, even great.

I knew the biggest message I could send my men when she started to fall asleep from the pain medication was to pick her up and carry her into my bedroom. I could have made other arrangements. Hell I could have had a bed setup in my office, or in the spare room that is completely empty but I didn't want her there. I wanted her in the bed preferably with me beside her; holding her.

I laid her down and then walked around to the other side. I wasn't certain about how she would react to what I was about to do but there was only way to find out. I had been dying to hold her since she was in the hospital bed I wanted to hold her in my arms. I had watched her sleep so much while we were there I had memorized her facial expressions and breathing while she slept.

I am not sure what this woman had done to me but I was beginning to understand that whatever it was I never wanted to live without her. I needed her beside me. She brought out feelings within me that I hadn't had in years, feelings that I thought I would never have. She made my heart ache when she hurt, my heart happy when she smiled, even made my heart cry when she was hurting emotionally from all her past scars with her mother, her struggles with her memory from the day of the crash.

The outside may be hard as ever but the inside had changed in ways I wasn't sure I truly understood. I wasn't sure I would ever understand but I wanted to.

I sat on the bed and pulled off my boot letting it drop to the floor with a thud to give my Babe warning about what I was planning on doing. When I didn't hear any protests I did the same with the other. Once my boots and socks were off I turned and got In the bed. I would have liked to remove my clothing I am not one to sleep in clothing but I felt like that would have been a little too much so I crawled into the bed and moved until I was behind my Babe.

I reached and pulled her close to me being very careful of her injuries. Bobby was pleased with how she was healing but it had only been a few days and well her injuries would take weeks. I needed to plan how we were going to help her during that time but I decided to table those thoughts until another time and just enjoy the feeling of her body lying next to mine.

I felt her body relax into mine and it wasn't minutes before her breathing had evened out to what I know is a sign of her sleeping. The only downfall of this position is that I don't have access to that beautiful face. But having her in my arms is worth that price. I feel at home and it isn't because I am in my home lying in my bed. I have laid here and slept here a lot of nights and I have never had the feeling I have right this moment with this beautiful amazing creature in my arms.

What have you done to me Babe? Was my last thoughts before I let sleep claim me. I could finally relax; I could finally allow myself to let my guard down and sleep knowing she was completely safe. Not only was she in my building, in my apartment, she was in my arms. There was no safer place for her or for me.

My eyes opened. I wasn't sure how long I had been asleep or why I woke up. I glanced around the room and all was quiet. All was dark. I listened to see if something had woken me but there was nothing but her leveled even breath. She was still sleep.

I took assessment of our current position. I had rolled onto my back at some point and she had practically crawled on top of me. Her casted arm and leg lay across me. Her head was resting on my chest. Her lips were slightly parted.

In that moment I was glad for whatever had caused me to open my eyes. It had gifted me with the opportunity to take in her true beauty. Her hair had fallen down in her face. I softly pushed back away from her face so I could get a better look at the true beauty she was.

I had never wanted a woman before not the way I want her. What was it about her that drew me to her? Like a moth to a flame, like iron to a magnet I was drawn to her. She felt good in my arms. I wrapped the arm under her around her holding her to me. My fingers tracing circles on her back sent little sparks throughout my hand, my arm, and my body.

It was a feeling that I could get addicted to. It was a feeling that made me feel alive, that made me feel almost as if the heart within my chest actually existed and beat. Maybe for her it did. I would have to think about that more.

I felt her shift against me. Maybe that is what had woken me in the first place. She was trying to snuggle closer to me and I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face thinking maybe she wanted to be closer to me just as much as I wanted to be closer to her.

She pushed her head into my chest moving it up and down as if trying to make it softer for her head to lye against me. For the first time in my life I wished my body wasn't as hard as it was. Of course that thought was quickly shaken off.

We had so much to talk about but where to begin? I mean could we go on doing this without talking? I mean we were doing it now and hadn't talked. The moment I thought that I knew it was a bad idea. Nothing ever good came from not facing the issues head on. I decided once she was awake I would talk to her. I would lay it on the line. Either she wanted what I had to offer, which wasn't much, or she didn't and I felt like the sooner I knew the better it would be for both of us.

**LPOV**

I had been working on the background check for Morelli. I can't say I was impressed. After what I had seen, and the little I knew. I wasn't surprised from what his background check had to offer. I had gone a little in depth but Ranger had said he wanted to know everything there was to know so I felt like I had done that for the most part.

His schooling was mediocre he got by with Cs and Ds typical low achiever. He had gone to the Navy right out of high school. I wasn't sure his reasoning's maybe it was to avoid the embarrassment of not getting a college. Maybe he thought the Navy could help get him in a college; not. Not with grades like that.

Maybe it was because he wanted to think he was more of a man than he really was. I wasn't certain. He certainly didn't have a very long run in the Navy. He was honorably discharged he had served his time two years was all he signed up for. I briefly wondered if it just wasn't his thing or if it was more of his habit of just living life mediocre. He seemed to live life never really excelling at anything. Doing things day in and day out and just never cared about making a name or life for himself that he could look back on or his kids could look back on and be proud of. Maybe he was proud of mediocre.

His service record was okay. He didn't have any reprimands in his file however, I wasn't sure there wouldn't be some that he just lucked out and didn't get for whatever reason. Good lie, effective begging, just being friends with the right CO sometimes saved your ass. We had all had moments were our asses were saved. I doubt if he was any different.

If anything I would say it wasn't. Morelli was a 'just like everyone else' kind of guy. He followed he had no desire to excel to be the best or a leader. His service time proved that, he was a mess hall guy. I wasn't sure if he cooked or if he cleaned but the whole two years he was assigned to the same job with never a request for advancement, and never a recommendation for advancement either.

I shook my head.

He had graduated in 1998. Looking at that something jumped into my head that I hadn't thought about before. I hadn't put two and two together. Fuck. How the fuck had I let that slip? How had I not known? Fuck.

Fuck. It had slipped by Ranger to. Neither one of his had put the dates, the ages, and times together. Fuck.

I had done the background on Beautiful I should have been the one that put the dates together. Fuck.

I quickly reached into the drawer I had her background check in and plowed through it gathering the dates. Mother fucker! I quickly scanned back over Morelli's, the fucking piece of pig shit, background pulling out the dates. Fuck.

He was two years older than her. I briefly wondered when the Tasty Pastry event happened. I ran through the conversation I had with Mary Lou did she say when. He would have already graduated if he went to the Navy the next day. He would have been eighteen you had to be eighteen but when was it?

She would have been a minor but I wondered if she was yet sixteen. I mean if he had turned eighteen in May and left for the Navy in June and her birthday wasn't until August fuck she would have been fifteen at the time. Blood boiled throughout my body. Fuck.

He had stolen a fifteen year old girl's virginity.

I knew it was only two years plus a few months but at certain ages that difference meant a whole lot more than at other ages and when a guy was eighteen and as experienced as Morelli was at that time, according to his reputation, for him to force himself on a girl who was fifteen, completely naïve, and inexperienced; a virgin, it was fucking unforgiveable.

I quickly scanned back to when he had enlisted and he had done it not long after his eighteenth birthday and he had started basic that June just a short time after graduating. I don't know how I missed it how I overlooked it. I don't know how I didn't put two and two together with the dates and reach the conclusions in my head sooner. I hadn't thought about it.

I wasn't a virgin in high school. My reputation more than proceeded itself in my school. But there some things I never did. I never forced myself on someone, I never manipulated anyone and took away their choice, and I never would have pressed myself on a fifteen or sixteen year old when I was eighteen. I would have never deflowered a fifteen year old girl. Let alone do it on the nasty fucking floor of a bakery. Fuck.

How the fuck was I going to tell Ranger this? Should I tell him? I had to tell him. If I didn't tell him and he put the dates together like I had put them together and he found I knew this and hadn't told him he would fucking kill me. No one would ever find my body. I would never be seen of, heard from or breath again and I was his fucking cousin what the fuck was he going to do to a scum bag fucking piece of shit scum like Morelli?

Morelli was already lucky that Ranger was preoccupied with Stephanie at the hospital or I am not certain he wouldn't have survived the first round of Ranger's anger. He had focused on her and been able to control the monster within that threatened to come out and avenge the wrong.

It wasn't a right or wrong or even a revengeful thing it was the way it should be the only way the monster within Ranger knew. There would be no holding him back once he found this out. The monster would be set loose on the streets of Trenton. This was about to turn ugly.

I focused back on the report trying to come up with a plan of action for when I went up to tell Ranger the news. I looked at the clock and wondered if she would be awake or sleep. She had gone to bed, well Ranger had taken her to bed, not long after we had gotten there. She had said she was in pain and Bobby had given her pain meds but I wanted to question her taking them.

Not that it would hurt her to take them and not that I didn't doubt she had some pain but I knew how tough she was, how tough she could be and I didn't think she would cave that easily. I let it go but something about that was eating me. It felt like she did it more to escape something than for the pain.

I threw the background check back on my desk. I couldn't focus on reading the fucking thing not with what I had running through my head. Fucker. She had told us about the incident when he was eight and she was six. I questioned if she was six but I wouldn't ask to find out. I would let that go as she had said.

While that is bad and it is completely something that an eight year old shouldn't be doing you could sort of dismiss it as children being curious. A child that had no discipline in his life doing what he thought was funny or doing something out of curiosity. Fuck all children of a certain age get curious about their bodies and the bodies of the opposite sex it is up to the parents to guide their kids to what is and isn't appropriate.

Without that guidance shit like this happened. While bad, it can be excused however at eighteen the excuses have long been over. There was none. Fuck.

I stood up from my desk and I know the only thing to do is go tell Ranger. Even though I know he needs to know I also feel like the kid screaming he did it on the playground. I knew this was to protect Beautiful and that was the only reason I was going through with it. Because it involved her and I would do whatever was necessary to protect her. Even if it meant screaming he did it like a fucking tattling schoolboy on the playground.

I knew nothing could come of the knowledge, like Morelli had said there would be no justice at least not legally that could touch him. The statue of limitations had long run out and that would even be if we could convince her to press charges which I was quite certain we wouldn't have been able to do even as mad as she was at him. All these years later she still didn't like him, she loathed him in fact and made it pretty clear that she would rather not have anything to do with him.

For that I was glad. Often times it wasn't like that. Women forgave or forgot all too easily at times. Maybe it wasn't so much a forgive forget thing as it was an overlook thing. They were willing to overlook too much. We men didn't deserve what most women were willing to overlook.

I had seen it time and time again with picking up skips. They would beat the shit out of their woman and then we get there to pick them up and they are both attacking us. I shake my head clearing my thoughts I would never be able to answer that question no reason to keep fucking asking it.

I make my way around my desk and out the door. I open the stair well door and start running the stairs two at a time up to the seventh floor. I wish I had more stairs to run lord knows it would be nice to burn a little of the frustration and the anger off before talking to Ranger.

I make my way into the apartment it is quiet, dark. They must still be sleeping. I make my way back to his bedroom. Opening the door glancing in I am met by a glock pointed toward my head. I hold my hands up and he lowers his hand placing the glock back on the bedside table. I had never known him to pull a gun when I opened his bedroom door. But then again he had never been in here with a woman before.

It was clear he was protecting her he had never bothered to protect himself not here in his apartment. Fuck I had never known him to have his weapons on him in his apartment. It's the one place that he is comfortable enough to not always have them at the ready. For him to have his weapon on the table beside him within reaching distance said a lot to the point he would go to protect her.

He knows no one has access to his apartment but the immediate core team.

"Man what the fuck?" I asked him a little annoyed that he pulled a fucking gun on me. This was becoming a pattern I wasn't too happy about. A pattern that one day was going to end with me getting my ass fucking shot.

"I should be asking that, what the fuck are you doing walking in here knowing she is in here sleeping?" He asked me. I looked at him my eyebrows knitting together head turning a little to the side trying to figure out what the big fucking deal was. It wasn't like they were fucking each other. Even I knew he wouldn't take advantage of her like that.

"Man what's the fucking big deal I have seen her sleeping before, unless you forgot the days and night at the hospital." I told him.

"This is different. This isn't a fucking hospital. This is her bedroom." He said. What the fuck. The fucker had lost his mind.

"Ranger did you bump your fucking head? Last I checked, this was your fucking building, your fucking apartment, and your fucking bedroom." I told him.

I briefly caught annoyance and maybe something else flash across his face but I didn't catch it before his face went blank.

"You know what the fuck I meant. Don't fuck with me. What the fuck do you want?" He said looking down at Beautiful. I guess he was making sure our voices hadn't woken her. She hadn't budged so I assumed it was good to guess she was still out of it.

"I was going over the background check you asked me to do." I told him not sure how much I should say just in case if she woke up while I was talking. He looked at me his eyes narrowing at me.

"Look man I wouldn't be here if I didn't think this was something that could wait. I figured it would only be time before you put this together, if you thought about it for any time, and I wanted to tell you. I didn't want you fucking killing me because I had figured it out and hadn't told you." I told him.

He didn't say anything he just looked at me. He was waiting for me tell him what was so fucking important. For a second I thought maybe this wasn't as important as I thought it was initially to interrupt them but I had done it now. I guess the anger and frustration I was feeling had me overreacting but it was too late now I was standing here in his bedroom or her bedroom as he said so it was time to spill the beans.

"Ranger, I am going to tell you something that is going to piss you off. You are going to want to kill someone but with Beautiful laying on you, you are going to have to control yourself or you could hurt her." I warned him once again thinking how bright this idea was. I definitely didn't think this through and I pretty much knew that if he lost control with the position he was in he would hurt her I wouldn't be able to protect her. Fuck.

It was those thoughts that told me how fucked up this whole idea of telling him really was. I had fucked up major.

He looked at me his eyebrow raised telling me to fucking tell me know. I heard it my head as if he had fucking said it out loud.

"I fucking mean it Ranger. It pissed me off when I realized it and I can only imagine how you are going to feel when I tell you this. You are going to have to remain calm." Fuck. I was falling all over my words.

"Spit it out Santos or get the fuck out." He said I heard annoyance rising in his voice.

"Okay, just remembered what I said, I was looking at the background I ran and I started putting dates together. Morelli is two years older than Beautiful. His birthday May first nineteen eighty-one. Her birthday, September fifteenth eighty-three. He went to the Navy June sixteenth ninety-nine." I paused waiting to see if he would be able to put together all of the numbers. He just looked at me the annoyance clearly on his face. I shook my head, he wasn't getting it. Fuck. I was going to have to spell it out for him.

"I am not going to have to rehash everything am I? Do I have to remind you what the fuck happened to her the night before that fucker left for the Navy?" I asked and I saw his eyes blacken and harden I knew had the monster's attention.

"Now think about those dates again." I told him anger pouring through my veins and the thought of them again. I knew the second he had put it together. His nose flared his eyes flashed with anger and further hardened. I tilted my head to the side giving him a look to remind him to control that fucking monster within before he fucking hurt her.

His arms wrapped around her holding her to him and I questioned if he was squeezing her too tight but I wasn't stupid enough to question it out loud.

I watched as he took in a few deep breaths his eyes flashing warning signs to anyone smart enough to heed their warning unfortunately there was no one around for him to focus them on. I watched as he put his nose in her hair and breathed in her scent deep in his nose closing his eyes.

I stepped closer to the bed unsure what I would do but willing to do what I could if he was unable to get himself under control. This was the stupidest fucking thing I had ever done. I thought with her sleep she wouldn't have to hear us, I thought he could keep himself under control with my warning but right now I was questioning all of it.

When he opened his eyes I took a refreshing gulp of air and let out the tension that had built in me over the past few seconds, minutes. He was back. He was in control. Fuck. I found my heart pounding and my breathing labored like I had run a marathon or something physically demanding. Fuck.

His eyes looked down at Beautiful and I noticed his hold on her loosen though his arms never fully let her go. His eyes met mine. Whew. "You okay man?" I asked him and he nodded. I nodded.

"Look man I am not certain it was smart me telling you this right now. I didn't think it through I just knew you needed to know and I didn't think she would want us discussing it around her. I don't see you leaving her anytime soon so I thought while she slept was a good chance. I didn't think about your reaction until it was too late and I was standing n the room." I explained to him.

He nodded. "Lester tomorrow you can meet me on the mats." He said what the fuck?

"Next time you will think about all aspects of her safety. You will do whatever it is you need to do or not to do to protect her at all times. Including protecting her from me if that is necessary." He told me. I nodded my head agreeing with him. He was right. I knew he was right.

I nodded again giving a final look to Beautiful who was still asleep in his arms. I turned and made my way out of the apartment. Fuck. I hadn't thought about protecting her from him until it was too late. She could have gotten hurt. I put her in danger with him fuck he was one of the most lethal people in the country and I thought it was a good idea to fucking piss him off while he was holding her. Fuck I deserved to have my ass kicked.

**Let me know what you think…Leave a Review!**


	31. Chapter 30: Back in the Office

**Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! For those that have Private messages turned off that left Reviews thank you for the reviews! I love reading every one of them so keep them coming.**

**I want to Thank Margaret Fowler for encouraging this story out of me. When I mentioned it to you 6 – 7 months ago you didn't let it die in my head. You kept pressing for it so here it is finally being written! I hope it is everything you thought it would be.**

**Standard Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine. They belong to JE I just take them out of the box and play with them a little. I have begged to keep Ranger and Lester for myself but I have yet to get a response… **

**Sorry for the late update. I didn't think I would have an update today as I was sick with a migraine all day yesterday and didn't get to work on the chapter any. But I guess late is better than never so here it is…I hope you all enjoy it.**

**Chapter 30: Back in the Office**

**SPOV**

It's been a week since I have been at Rangeman. Hard to believe it's been a week but on a good note things have gotten better in that time. My pain levels have decreased I have been able to get up and move around a little more without as much help.

The first week was challenging. Carlos refused to leave me even though I knew he had work to do. He was there to make sure I made it to the bathroom, made it to the living room. He was there to make sure I had food, and water.

Ella had been the greatest. She had helped me with bathing, and washing my hair as a shower or bath right now wasn't something I could handle. She also made sure I had dessert. I am not sure Carlos approved but he never said anything.

The guys, Lester, Bobby, Cal and even Tank had been great. When something came up that Carlos was forced to leave me one of them sat with me. I told Carlos it wasn't necessary but he wouldn't hear of it. He even told me the guys were fighting over who got to sit with me next. I am not sure I was buying all of that but they were good guys.

Bobby had been there whenever I needed him. We had started on our physical therapy and if what I have been through is any indication of his idea of physical therapy he was so going to be kicking my ass when the casts come off. They had at least removed the stupid brace around my chest.

It caused my ribs to hurt a little more but it was so more comfortable when it came to sitting up or moving to not have to deal with the stupid brace.

However I was able to feel Ranger hold me close at night. That was one of my favorite things. Sleep time. I had no intentions of sharing the bed with Ranger when I first came here. I wasn't sure about sharing his bed and well I also didn't want to kick him out so on the first night when he crawled in behind me I didn't fight him.

I woke up the next morning plastered to him. I was practically lying on top of him. His arms had wrapped around me and when I opened my eyes I prayed I hadn't slobbered on him. I had never slept better in my life. I met his eyes they were warm and inviting. I quickly tried to pull away embarrassed I had practically crawled on top of him in my sleep. But he held me to him tighter.

"Shh…" he said to quiet me and just kept holding me.

I was confused at first and wanted to ask him what he was doing but then decided that it felt too good to just move away from him and if he wanted me to stay I would stay in his arms. So I stilled myself and just laid there looking up at him. Our eyes locked on each others. God the man was beautiful.

He had no idea how beautiful he was. His face was softer having lost the tension I had seen around his eyes and mouth in the hospital. His eyes were warmer, you could get lost in them, as he looked at me. His face looked content, and may I even say you could see something that looked as if he was happy. I was sure that was a look he didn't often allow others to see.

"Good Morning." I finally said, he smiled.

"Babe it is well past Morning I think it is somewhere around dinner time." He said and I smiled. I always did like my sleep but coupled with him lying here beside me, it was no wonder I slept so sound and for so long.

I shrugged my shoulders. It didn't really matter what the actually time of day was I was waking up so it was morning and well lying in his arms made it more than good. It made it a great day. Even greater than if I had eaten my Kellogg's Frosted Flakes. Tony the tiger would be out of a job if he knew how great it was to start a day in Carlos' arms because that was something that was truly great.

That wasn't the only morning that I woke up like that. We would start the nights out with him holding me my back to his front but by morning I was usually lying on top of him in some form of another with his arms around me.

I decided after the first morning there was no need to apologize for attacking him at night my body fully well knew a good thing when it had it and well my body was drawn to him in ways my mind wasn't even able to understand.

I had been round and round on why I was drawn to him and how I needed to control that because when he was ready to let me go it was going to feel as though he had ripped my heart out of my chest and left me a broken woman. I knew the power he had over my heart, my soul and yet I was unable to pull away. I was unable to put the distance between us to protect myself.

I was the sacrificial lamb and the worst part was I was sacrificing myself. Unable to stop it I couldn't do anything but fall deeper and deeper. I hadn't known the man for two weeks and truth be told I was completely head over heels in love with the man to the point that the thought of not having him in my life made me feel as though I couldn't breathe.

Today was the first day I was going to venture out of the apartment. I was going to be doing my physical therapy in the gym and then I was going to go up to Carlos' office on the fifth floor. I would also get to meet more of the guys in the building. I was nervous. Would they like me? Would I like them?

I had finally convinced Carlos to go back to work. He didn't feel as though I should be alone so I told him I would hang out in his office. I wasn't sure it was the brightest idea but I had already kept him from his business and his work enough.

I had been enough of a burden to him and his company he didn't need to lose any more money because of me. Ella had come in and helped me get dressed for the day. Thanks to Ella she had fixed clothing for me that was easy for me to get on and off with my injuries.

"Ella, I don't know what I would have done without you." I tell her. She smiles.

"Stephanie it is my pleasure." She says and I can't help the slight blush at her words.

"Well thank you." I told her and she nodded.

"Babe you ready?" Carlos asked me and I turned and nodded. He was waiting to take me down to the gym. It was almost time for my physical therapy.

"Babe its okay the gym should be just about empty as most of the guys have already worked out and no one knew you were going to be down there today. So you should have the gym pretty much to yourself." He told me. I wasn't really worried about that it was more just nerves about meeting the rest of the guys.

"You want to take the wheelchair down to the gym?" I shook my head no. No way was I riding in that damn chair. Well at least not unless Carlos was going to put me on his lap again.

"No I can walk." I told him. He nodded. We slowly walked out of the apartment. Carlos' hands were close to me. I was still on crutches only able to put my left foot on the floor but was not suppose to put any weight on my foot. I was still severely crutch challenged but I was actually getting better believe it or not.

Every now and then I would get going too fast and almost take a header but Carlos had been there to keep it from happening. Lester and Cal also had both kept me from taking a header onto the floor as well.

Carlos pushed the button to call the elevator. The doors opened and I went to move forward catching one of the crutches on the elevator track and I started to fall but once again Carlos was there to catch me before I hit the floor.

"Babe, you okay?" He asked me and I nodded. My heart beat had increased but I was okay.

"Yeah I am okay." I told him a little annoyed at the damn crutches. "Thank you" I said to him.

He nodded. "Bobby would kick my ass if I allowed you to get hurt on the way to physical therapy." He told me but I knew that wasn't the only reason. Carlos had caught me every time.

"Babe I will catch you any and every time you fall." He said and I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face no more than I could stop the warm feeling that washed through me. I knew I hadn't said that out loud but he answered me as if I had. How did he do it?

The elevator took us to the third floor. "You haven't had a tour of the building yet, but the gym is on the third floor." Carlos told me. The doors opened and we walked through the doors to a massive gym. I am not sure I had ever been in a gym as large as the one I was currently in. It had everything you could imagine in multiples. I wasn't really a gym rat well actually I wasn't a gym rat at all the thought of exercise made me cringe but even I was impressed with this gym.

"Babe there are showers and dressing area through that door but I would suggest you call out to make sure none of the guys are in there before you just walk in. We will have to work out some system for the guys to know you are in there if you choose to use the shower and locker area." He said and I nodded.

I wasn't sure I would be using that area. I mean I could go up to his apartment and right now I needed Ella to help me with bathing and my hair.

Bobby was in the gym waiting on us, we walked over to him. "Hey Steph, how you feeling today?" He asked me.

"Okay so far, guess it depends on what you do to me as to how I will feel the rest of the day." I tell him letting him know that I am worried about this.

"Steph, it will be okay, I promise." He said. I nodded trying hard to believe him.

"Babe, you want me to stay with you?" Carlos asked me and I shook my head no. If I was going to embarrass myself he didn't need to be witness to it.

"Carlos you need to get to your office and focus on the work you have been ignoring because of me. I will be fine. We will come up to your office when we are done." I told him trying to sound braver than I actually was.

In truth I had never had physical therapy I had always heard horrible things about it how the therapists are practical sadists and they love hurting and pushing their patients. When people described their therapy appointments to me it sounded like they were almost drill sergeants pushing them. Personally it was a little scary.

I really questioned if I could do what he would ask of me. Part of me wanted Carlos there just for the protection but I knew he needed to get to his office and I needed to be a big girl and face what was coming. I was only hoping that the people that had told me about their sessions exaggerated a little, okay a lot.

Carlos dipped and touched his lips to mine a tingle ran through like liquid fire. Again it was just a peck on the lips nothing more. Yet like the times before so much more. He had never taken it beyond the peck and up until this moment it had only happened at night just before sleep claimed me. I wanted to take it deeper I wanted to grab him and hold him to me and deepen the kiss but I didn't.

"Bobby" Carlos said as he nodded his head. I saw Bobby nod back and I wondered what had they agreed on. They were clearly communicating more than just what Carlos had said out loud. I briefly wondered if everyone in the building could read minds. If so, I was going to be in trouble at some point.

"Babe" Carlos said as he turned and made his way out of the gym. I watched him leave once again admiring the view but also on the edge of calling him back to me. I managed to not call him back and held steadfast in my resolve to do this without having him with me. I was a big girl I could do this. I was becoming too dependent on him. I wasn't one to depend on people. I was independent and I needed to remember that. Carlos was easy to depend on because he was always there. Just like he had caught me when I almost fell into the elevator, it was easy to depend on him; too easy.

I needed to remember that this wasn't my life, my life was my little rental that I would probably lose now that there was no way for me to make my rent. That reminded me I needed to go get the little bit of stuff I had. If the owner came looking for the rent and I wasn't there they would think I left and they would throw everything I did have out. Including the table my grandmother had given me.

My grandmother was always the one that supported me. She always loved me no matter what happened, regardless of anything she listened, she supported, and she loved me. She only told me how proud of me she was. I was sort of glad she wasn't living right now for her to see me now I am not so sure she would be very proud of me. I wasn't very proud of me how my life had gone the past six months.

This is the first time since her death that I was actually glad she wasn't around to witness what my life was.

"Stephanie I thought having you come to the gym would be a good place to continue your physical therapy. You are getting stronger but we need to make sure that when the casts come off you will be ready for therapy on your arm and leg." Bobby said breaking me out of my thoughts.

"I didn't think you really did physical therapy until the casts come off." I told him. He shook his head no.

"Those are old thoughts. There is a lot of research that actually says that recovery is less, and physical movement is better if therapy actually starts almost immediately. Even in some cases before the injury is even repaired." He told me. I nodded. Not sure I believed all of that but hey he was the expert not me so I was going along.

"Okay I am ready then." I told him my voice sounding a lot braver than I actually was.

**RPOV**

Damn I knew I was being stupid but I couldn't help the thoughts of wanting to be with her. I wanted her near me. I wanted to be where she was. I had come up to my office because one I had work I needed to do and two she told me to but I was hoping she wanted me to stay with her as much as I wanted to stay.

I would pawn off all the work I could to everyone else and free my schedule up more but she was insistent on me not doing that. Funny the one woman I was willing to not work and spend time with wanted me working. Any other woman I had ever known wouldn't have thought twice about that. Hell the few times I had attempted a woman in my life that was the problem the work, the job and none of them were worth me giving it up for.

I had yet to say anything to Stephanie about my feelings. It had been a week but every time I thought to bring it up something else happened or someone interrupted. In truth I was probably a little chicken what if she didn't feel the same way. I wasn't one to worry or deal with idol thoughts of will she like me as much as I like her bull shit that teenagers tend to worry over but here I was.

No woman had ever had this affect on me.

I loved having her in my bed; I loved feeling her body next to mine as I slept. Something I had never done with a woman. Something I had never had the desire to do they always got to clingy when you spent the night with them. You could fuck them and walk away but spend the night with them and they have laid claim to you thinking they fucking own you.

No woman had ever owned me until now. Stephanie owned me I would do anything to keep her safe, I would do anything to help her, and I would do anything to please her. I had decided that tonight I would talk to her and lay it all on the line. I had put it off long enough. I needed to know what her feelings were and where her thoughts were before I fell any further. If she didn't feel the same as I did it was already going to rip my fucking heart out.

I could barely stay in my seat and I had already pulled up the footage of the gym watching her. I figured most of the guys that were curious about her were watching as well. This was the first time she would meet most of the guys. I had limited those coming to the apartment to those that had met her in the hospital. I didn't want to overwhelm her. I wanted her to heal a little not be in as much pain and get use to living here a little more before she met everyone.

I had no doubt they wouldn't like her. Like Santos said they would be fighting for her. Hell they already were and it was only a handful that had met her. But when I had to leave her they would fight over who got to stay with her to help her.

I thought maybe the more she used the crutches the better she would get at them but I am not too sure right now and well until I was confident that she wasn't going to fall and further injure herself I wasn't going to leave her alone by herself. So if I had to attend to something then I left one of the guys she knew with her.

As it turned out it was a good decision as both Cal and Lester had both caught her when she tripped trying to walk with the crutches. Coordinated was one thing my Babe was not.

I focusing on a report when there was a soft knock at my door. "Enter" I called out and the door opened and her little head popped through the opening. I smiled seeing her.

"Are you busy? You want me to go upstairs instead?" She asked me and a shook my head no.

"No I want you to come in and hang out here." I told her and she nodded.

"I don't want to be in your way."

"You aren't in my way besides I know you still need some help and by you being here I can help you. How was your therapy?" I asked her and she shrugged.

"I guess it was okay. I mean it was better than expected. I thought he was going to be like a drill sergeant in the gym but he was easy with me." She said and I nodded glad I didn't have to kick Bobby's ass.

I had made an example out of Santos. One I knew he could take it and two he had fucked up. I let him be the example that you don't fuck up where she is concerned. You protect her at all times. Lester was still slightly limping from his ass kicking but he hadn't complained. He knew he deserved the ass kicking I gave him.

Later I think we both agreed that when it comes to Stephanie we tend to over react. But I would rather over react than not act and she ends up getting hurt in some way.

"Have a seat on the couch." I told her getting up rounding my desk to meet her. Bobby was following her and for that I was glad. She nodded. We walked over the couch and She sat down I pulled the pillow from the other end and placed it on the arm rest and then encouraged her to lie down.

"Babe I know you have to be tired why don't you lie down for a little while and get some rest." She nodded and turned placing her head on the pillow and I quickly pulled the blanket from the back of the couch and covered her.

"Thanks man" I told Bobby and he nodded his head and made his way out of the office pulling the door shut behind me.

"Babe before you go to sleep I want to ask if we can talk tonight after or during dinner." She looked at me her eyes questioning what it was I wanted to talk about. I could see uncertainty and a little bit of fear in her eyes. What was she fearful of? We were just going to talk nothing was going to hurt her.

"Babe it's nothing to worry about its just talking. It's okay." I told her and she nodded but the look on her face didn't change. I wasn't quite sure why or where those feelings were coming from but I decided I wouldn't bother asking her anything about it.

I went back to my desk letting her sleep. I smiled when I heard her breathing even out and I knew she was asleep. Having her in here with me gave the ability to focus on the work that needed to be done. When she woke up we would walk around and meet a few of the guys.

I had been working a couple of hours when I heard her start to rustle. I stood up welcoming the distraction from the fucking boring ass paper work and walked over to where she was lying down. Sitting on the table in front of the couch I reached out and brushed the hair off of her face as her eyes opened and met mine. I smiled at her and she returned the smile.

"Nice nap?" I asked her and she nodded stretching a little bit to wake herself up fully.

"Do you want to go met some of the guys?" I asked her and she nodded though I could see a little nervousness in her eyes. She had nothing to worry about they would love her.

"Babe you don't have to worry about anything. They are going to love you." I told her.

She didn't say anything she just sat up and I helped her cast leg to the floor. We made our way out of the office.

"Here is Tank's office." I told her pointing to his office next to mine and she nodded.

"Lester's and Bobby's are down the hallway a little further." I told her. She had already met them we didn't need to go any further down the hallway. I started walking to the control room.

Vince and Ram were in the control room. I opened the door. "Vince, Ram this is Stephanie. Ram you have already met." I said.

They turned and nodded to her. "Hi" Stephanie said and they finally decided to say Hi.

"So what do you all do?" She asked them looking at the equipment. The control room is full of equipment and monitors.

Ram spoke up "Well right now we are on control room duties which mean we monitor clients and report any incidents for those working in the field to follow up on." He said. She looked at the monitors.

"So what kind of incidents?" She asked and I watched as she moved closer looking at the monitors with interest.

"Well should someone try to break in, in some cases if we see an employee doing something they shouldn't or if one of the alarms go off for something such as fire, or intrusion." He said and she nodded.

She was standing between Vince and Ram looking at the monitors. I couldn't help but smile as thoughts of her working here invaded my mind. It was clear she was smart and she had a sharp mind.

"What kind of clients do you have?" She asked and Vince answered her.

"Well all kinds. Lots of businesses and some individual accounts as well. Most individual accounts aren't monitored twenty four seven with cameras but we have a few. Most household accounts work on alarm bases and then we dispatch those in the field when the alarms sound. Typically the businesses are the ones we actually monitor with cameras." He told her and she nodded.

"Why not call the police when the alarm sounds?" She asked

"Well we are licensed and capable of handling it so we keep it within house if we need to involve police we do but only after we have responded and handled the situation. Then we file the report with the police department. It is one more way we help our customers by taking that burden off of them. If we just dispatched the police then the clients would have to deal with the statements, etc. Besides our response times are better than the police so if an alarm sounds chances are we are going to catch the perp." Ram told her and she nodded.

"Well I will let you get back to your work. It was nice meeting you Vince, see ya Ram." She said. We made our way out of the control room. Next was going to be cubicle area.

"Hal met Stephanie." I said as we walked up on Hal. He practically snapped to attention when he heard my voice. He was forever the soldier. I guess you could take the seal out of the Navy but you could never take the Navy out of the seal. "Stand down soldier." I told him and he relaxed his stance.

"Hi" Stephanie said and Hal turned red. Poor boy was always so shy around women.

"Hi" he finally returned. Stephanie smiled at him and I noticed he relaxed a little more.

"So what do you do here?" She asked him.

"Well like most of the guys a little bit of everything ma'am." He responded.

"Hal call me Stephanie or Steph no ma'am crap for me. It makes me feel old." She told him.

"Yes Ma'…uhh Steph." He said.

"So what do you mean little bit of everything?" She asked him.

"Well I do field work, pull control room duty, and other work which involves reports and other desk duties that I don't want to bore you to death with." He said and she smiled.

"What's your favorite part?" She asked him and I was shocked she was asking so many questions.

"Well I would say field work." Surprise, imagine that. It was all of our favorites that's why there had to be a schedule made or everyone would be in the field all the time and the other work wouldn't get done.

She nodded smiling. "Well I will let you get back to your boring desk duties. Nice to meet you Hal." She said smiling to him which caused him to blush as he returned her smile.

We stepped to the next cubicle. "Bones I want you to meet Stephanie." I said.

"Hi" Stephanie said.

"Hi" he stood up to met her and shake her hand.

"So you do the same thing as Hal or do you do something different." She asked him.

"No pretty much the same thing." He said and she nodded.

"Are you partners?" She asked and he nodded. "Yeah we are partners" he said and I wondered what made her think that.

"How long have you been partners?"

"For a few years now." He answered and she nodded smiling.

"Do you live in the building too?" She asked him and he nodded not really saying anything more.

"Okay well I will you get back to your work. Nice to meet you." She said

"You too." Bones said.

"Babe, why don't we go up stairs for lunch, we can meet a few more of the guys later. Okay?" I asked her about the same time her stomach let loose a loud roar.

She nodded. Maybe I would start talking to her now.

We made it over to the elevator getting on this time without catching her crutch we made our way up to the seventh floor.

Walking in I get her settled on the couch with her leg up. Her toes are a little swollen so she has been on her feet too much today and needs to elevate her feet. I prop a pillow underneath her foot hoping it would help a little. Once we got back downstairs I would have her lie down on the couch and then I would prop her leg up further.

"I will be right back." I told her and she nodded. I made note to grab some advil with her meal that way she could take something as I knew she had to be in some pain from the physical therapy then the walking she had done today alone was the most she had done since the accident and she had to be reaching her limit. The advil would also help with the inflammation in her toes.

I was starting to debate just staying up in the apartment the rest of the afternoon. I put our sandwiches on the tray along with some water as I made my way back into the living room. I sat down beside her handing her the tray while I took my sandwich and water off of it.

"Babe I know I said I wanted to talk later but while we are up here and no one is interrupting us I thought maybe could talk now." I said as I took a drink of my water.

"Okay." She said and I heard the uncertainty in her voice.

"Babe I wanted to ask you …" I started to say.

"I can leave if…." She started to say. Both of us stopped talking when we realized that we had both started talking at the same time.

"Babe let me first. I was going to ask you if you would consider staying here with me, moving in with me. I know we haven't talked about any of this but I want you with me. Not just so I can fix a wrong but in my life. I want you to be in my life. Will you consider staying with me, living here, being with me?" I asked her.

I finally ventured to look at her and she sat there on my couch with her eyes enlarged, her mouth agape I could read disbelief on her face but I was also hoping that I was seeing excitement in her eyes as well.

"Babe?" I questioned trying to prompt her for an answer.

**Tell me what you think …Leave a review!**

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	32. Chapter 31: The Us Talk

**Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! For those that have Private messages turned off that left Reviews thank you for the reviews! I love reading every one of them so keep them coming.**

**I want to Thank Margaret Fowler for encouraging this story out of me. When I mentioned it to you 6 – 7 months ago you didn't let it die in my head. You kept pressing for it so here it is finally being written! I hope it is everything you thought it would be.**

**Standard Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine. They belong to JE I just take them out of the box and play with them a little. I have begged to keep Ranger and Lester for myself but I have yet to get a response… **

**Chapter 31: The "Us" Talk**

**SPOV**

"You want me to what?" I asked feeling shock resonate throughout my entire body. He wants me to move in with him? He wants me in his life? He wants me? Excitement filled the wake.

"Babe, I want you to move in with me. I want us to be together as a couple." I could tell the way he was struggling for words this wasn't something that he had often said if ever. I could also see uncertainty in his eyes. Was he uncertain of me or uncertain what I would say?

Instead of torturing myself I went with uncertain of what I would say rather than uncertain of me after all he was asking me to move in with him.

"Carlos if you haven't noticed I am living with you. We have been sleeping in the same bed since I got here." I said.

"Yes, I know but you came here for therapy you came here to have a place to stay until your injuries healed." That was true. I had come here for that but that wasn't the only reason. I had told him at the hospital I wanted to go with him it wasn't so he could help me and watch over me while my arm, ribs, and leg recovered.

"Yes, but what was it I told you in the hospital when I told you that I would come here with you?" I asked him hoping he would say the exact words and then put the pieces together. That would tell him everything he needed to know.

"You said you wanted to come with me. You wanted to go where I went." He said and I nodded. Letting the words he had just said out loud sink into his brain.

"Carlos, I told you that because I wanted to be with you. I still want to be with you. I don't want to be with you just because I am injured or need help while I am healing. I want to be with you well because I have never met anyone that affects me the way you do." I confessed finding it more and more difficult to talk about my feelings for Carlos. Hell I hadn't known the man hardly two weeks and here I was about to tell him that I was head of heels in love with him he would think I was a psycho for sure.

"Babe." He said to my confession. That word could hold so much but really told me nothing. It told me nothing of what he felt, what he wanted, who he was or his hopes and dreams. I wanted the words. Not Babe.

"Carlos, tell me without saying the word Babe why you are asking me to stay with you. Why do you want me to move in with you?" I asked him nervous that I was putting it out there but I figured I had nothing to lose and everything to gain. Well maybe something to lose but I was willing to risk it. I felt the odds were in my favor and so this was a chance I was willing to take.

"Ba.." he started to say but my look cut him short. He cleared his throat I could see a little nervousness around his eyes and I smiled because it was pretty clear that he sucked at talking about his feelings just as much as I sucked at talking about mine. We were in the same boat. I quickly understood that we both needed to help each other paddle through the emotional river of what we were about to say to each other.

"Stephanie, like you, no one has affected me this way. I never before would put off work, delay work, or hell not even go to work because of a woman. I never cared enough to want to spend time with them outside of the bed." I winced a little when I heard that. Carlos, to date had never done more than placed a peak on my lips. Did he not want me that way? Was that why I was different?

"I hold you at night and I am able to sleep in a way I have never been able to sleep. I feel more holding you than anything I had ever felt with any other female in my life. I never want to lose that. I want you in my life. Thoughts of you being safe drive me crazy. I am possessive of you, and I am jealous of you." He admitted. "Those are feelings I have never had for anyone, ever. They are new to me and I am not quite sure how to handle them." He confesses with a smile that I am not sure the reasons behind.

I raise my hand and run my fingers along his jaw line caressing letting him know I appreciate the honesty in his confession to me.

"Carlos I feel some of those same things. I love you holding me while we sleep. I guess that is pretty obvious when every morning I have practically mauled you in my sleep. I have never felt for a guy in my life the way I feel for you. I have never wanted to be held by a man more or cared for by a man more. I have always prided myself in my independence. My independent nature that needed no one to survive but I must confess to you that I find myself depending on you. In some ways that scares me because it is something I have never felt but in other ways I am completely comfortable with it because deep down I know you will never disappoint me. It's a feeling I have never felt before for anyone. It makes me feel vulnerable but at the same time I feel strong." I tried to explain to him not sure I succeeded it was a weird and wonderful feeling but completely impossible to explain.

It's like trying to describe the most beautiful sunrise you had ever seen. There are words but none of them actually do it justice. You know that perfect mix between pink and blue when the sun just peaking above the horizon the colors as they blaze across the sky when the world seems to stop for all to witness the beautiful orchestrated dance of colors blending deepening changing all combined with the promise of that perfect day to match that perfect sunrise. It is that moment that what I am feeling are made of it is completely palpable yet impossible to explain.

My subconscious tries to remind me what happens with every sunrise. The Sun comes up the colors fade away it turns from that beautiful moment to the harsher rays of the sun beating down on you with reminders of the world that we truly live in isn't actually filled with perfect days. It is filled with days that are far from perfect that are more like the harsher rays of the sun ready to burn and leave you blistered.

I pushed those thoughts away I tried to swallow them down, ignoring them; willing them to not be true.

"Where do these feelings leave us Babe?" He asked me part of me wanted to shake my head that I didn't know and not step out there and take the risk for fear of what the harsher rays of the sun will do to me. The other part of me wanted to grab him and hold on tight and beg for those perfect sunrises and perfect days.

In truth I answered as truthful as I knew how answer. "Carlos I don't know."

"I don't know how to talk about my feelings. With you I find it easier but it is still difficult for me. You have to know that I haven't had the best of luck when it comes to men in my life. First off it's been a while since there was a man life and secondly whenever there is a man in my life I manage to mess it up one way or another." I confessed to him.

I didn't want to tell him that one I hadn't had that many men but two that the ones I did have ended up cheating on me with that rat fink bitch Joyce. Maybe if he never knew Joyce existed then I wouldn't lose him to her as well.

"Babe, this isn't easier for me. I never really wanted this with another woman. But even those women that I tried to see more than once well they ended in disaster. The two times I attempted it both wanted me to be with them twenty four seven and give up Rangeman. I wasn't willing for them. I am willing for you and you actually push me away and force me back to work." He said with a slight smile on his lips.

"Carlos I would never come between you and Rangeman. I don't have to know you well to know that this place is your life. I would never ask you to change that for me." I confessed.

He smiled. "The hours are grueling." He said not sure if he was warning me or testing me but it wouldn't matter it was who he was. I either accepted him the way he was and wanted him the way he was or I didn't and with every fiber of my body I wanted him. I shrugged my shoulders. Not sure what else to say or do.

"I am more concerned with the fact that we barely know each other. You know hardly anything about me and I know even less about you. How are we just going to start living together without knowing each other? You may find that I am slob that doesn't like to clean and can't cook." It wasn't far from the truth. He smiled.

"Well I don't care we have Ella to clean and cook so you don't have to." He said as if he had an answer for everything.

"Well you might find out that I am a pole dancer on the weekends." I mused and he raised his eyebrows at me and laughed. What he didn't think I could be a pole dancer? I mean I could be a pole dancer if I wanted to. It wasn't like I had that bad of a body. I mean I was a little lean right now but there was a time that my body well wasn't so bony.

"Babe, trust me I think you could be whatever you want to be and your body is beautiful even bony but if you were a pole dancer on the weekends you would have made more than enough money to keep food in your cabinets and in your belly. The men there would have been sure you received more than your fair share of tips. Can I also add that I am glad you aren't a pole dancer on the weekends?" He said and I couldn't help but smile and blush a little at his comment.

"So, you don't pole dance on the weekends?" He asked me and I shook my head no.

"Good I would hate to have to track down every man who had seen you dancing and kill them." He said I think he was joking. I am sure it was just a joke. Yeah, I think he was.

"Babe, where does this leave us?" He asked me again like all of a sudden my answer was going to be different than a minute ago. Like I was going to have some epiphany and all of a sudden know where it leaves us? I wanted to say happily ever after like Cinderella but we all know fairytales don't come true. There really are no such things as fairy tales. I mean there is no prince charming that actually finds Cinderella's glass shoe then tracks her down to put it back on her foot only to sweep her away into happily ever after.

It is the story that every little girl hears. It is the story that every little girl wants to come true for her. It is the story that breaks every little girl's heart when she realizes that the guy she thought was her prince charming is actually a douche bag of a guy that wants to change her because she isn't good enough and is fucking her arch nemesis behind her back.

"Carlos where do you think this leaves us?" I turned the question back around on him waiting for him to answer it. After all little boys aren't lead astray by fairytales. Maybe he has a different perspective.

He was quite for a while. Contemplating what to say but I can tell by the look on his face that he isn't out he is just being thoughtful.

"Babe I think it is new territory for both of us. I think it leaves us both wanting to get to know each other better and both wanting to be with each other. What that brings or how it ends I don't know but it doesn't change my desire to want to try. I want you in my life. I want you to want me in your life. Do you Babe?" I heard uncertainty in his voice and I wanted to wipe it all away.

I nodded.

"Yes. I want that. I want that very much." I told him. My words breaking as my heart started throwing emotions at me faster than my mind and body could process.

"Babe, don't cry." He said and I wanted to protest that I wasn't crying but the feeling of moisture on my face was a dead giveaway that the tears I felt burn my eyes only seconds ago had overflowed. They were happy tears.

"They are happy tears. Carlos I am going to tell you I am not very good at this. I managed to run every guy prior to you off. It wasn't such a big deal with them that they left but I don't want to mess this up with you. I am just not sure how not to mess it up." I confessed to him.

"How did you mess it up with them?" He asked me and I couldn't help but think good question. How did I mess it up? I finally shrugged I had no idea. I was certain there was something I wasn't doing, or didn't do right.

"Babe it takes two to mess things up. I don't know if we will get it right all the time, but I can promise you it won't be wrong all the time. We may not always agree, or always want the same things, or always like or dislike the same things. I am also sure there will be times when we will be mad at each other when one or both of us will mess it up. But I can promise you that I have never felt the same about another woman nor will I ever." He told me and I was floored by what came out of his mouth.

Did this badass write hallmark cards on the side? Because if he didn't he should I mean wasn't that what every woman wanted to hear? How come I couldn't put my feelings and thoughts into such elegant words? Me, well I was a bumbling idiot when it came time to talk about feelings. I was more hmmms and haws and you knows.

"Well I think before it was more me not being good enough." I confessed to him. I saw the question in his eyes as he turned his head to the side.

"I can't cook, I don't really clean that great. I am not into having kids and wanting to be the stay at home mom. I want to explore the world of course I never had the money to do that but I wanted to be free to do that if and when I ever hit the lottery and could do it. Truth is I want to work; I enjoy making my own money. I don't want to be tied down to a house, kids and have to have a man support me. I like being able to support myself. Everyone I ever dated wanted kids, stay at home wife dependent on them, someone who could cook and didn't mind cleaning twenty-four seven. Every one of my past boyfriends, not that it was that many to be honest, but everyone ended up cheating on me. Most of them I caught by walking in on them. So I might not be too good in other areas either." I finally told him taking in a deep breath.

"I just figured it was me not being good enough. Not doing something they wanted or not being enough for them when it came to you know." I gestured with my hand thinking there I go with the 'you know' it was only a matter of time before one or the other came out. So you know was as good as any.

"Babe I suspect if there was anything lacking in that department it was on them and not you." He said and I gave him a half smile not sure if that was the truth or not but I would like to believe him. It sure as hell made me feel a lot better about myself.

But truth be told it only takes a few guys cheating on you to begin to realize that it is probably you with the problem and not them. After all one maybe, two well that is coincidence maybe but three then that is a pattern that is hard to just excuse away with it being something wrong with the guy when you are the only common denominator. When it is you in the picture with all three and things go wrong it's hard to blame someone else. It's a whole lot easier to blame the common denominator which happens to be you. In this case that was me.

"Well it's nice for you to say that but I guess time will only tell. I want you in my life. I want to be with you but do you think me moving in is too soon? I mean you haven't known me two weeks. I could be some serial killer for all you know." I tell him, he smiles.

"Serial killer?" He questions and I shrug my shoulders. It could be true he doesn't know because he doesn't know me. Besides I have killed my fair share of house plants if that constitutes me being a serial killer than I am definitely one.

"Well I have killed my fair share of house plants." I said as a defense and he smiled.

"I think I am safe." He said. Possibly.

"You are living here now, sleeping in my bed really there would be no difference than right now other than it would be your apartment and your bed as well as mine." He said. It sounded logical all too logical. I mean I wanted it but how did this just turn out to be mine I mean nothing this good was for free. I had learned that the hard way in life nothing was free. The better it was the more catches involved. This was definitely too good to be true let alone true and free with no catches.

"Carlos, you do realize I have no job, I am broke, my landlord is probably throwing everything I own away as I speak to you. I am pretty sure my electric has been cut off along with my cable and cell phone. I live like a pauper. I have nothing to give." I exclaimed to him my voice raising as I tried to get the point across to him that I would be nothing but a burden. I had no way of contributing anything to this relationship if I moved in here I would be bringing nothing to the table only debt. Debts I couldn't afford to pay and wouldn't want him paying for me.

"Besides I bring nothing with me but a mountain of debt that I will never be able to pay off especially without having a job. Right now even wanting to work I can't. Not until I am healed more so I bring nothing positive to us. Only burdens, only debts that I don't want you paying for. I don't want you footing my bills for me." I said to him he looked at me his lips in a hard line. I could tell there was something that he wanted to tell me that he wasn't saying. He was debating to tell me.

"Babe you bring so much more than money. Do you realize how you make me feel? Do you realize how accepting of me, my men you have been? Most women either are afraid of us and run away, the others see us for what we have and what we can give them and stick around only for that. People in general are scared of us and normally we are okay with it. Hell most of the time it's a game we played that we all have enjoyed. I am not going to lie to you we are badasses and we have done some things that aren't pretty. We have all seen some things that aren't pretty. Most of us bottle it all up inside as we can't really talk about it but it was all done for our country. We aren't perfect and lots of us have shady pasts but we are different people now. We have turned our lives around from that of crime, drugs, and gangs and made something of our lives. But there are very few that ever care enough to meet us and want to get to know us. They form their opinions and their judgments and that is what we are. You are like a breath of fresh air for us. You accept us and you aren't afraid of us." He said.

"Well I don't tend to judge and you are right I am not afraid of the guys because I trust you. I feel safe with you and I know if there was something to fear you would tell me. But having said that changes nothing about my situation. It doesn't change the fact that I am a burden for you. I don't want to start out a relationship with me being a burden." I told him.

"Babe you do realize that what you owe is nothing for me." He said and I looked at him what did he mean by nothing. It was a lot of money.

"Carlos no I don't know that, it is a lot regardless of how much money you have it is still a lot. Money I don't want you spending on me. I may never be able to pay you back at least no time soon. I don't have a job and right now I have no idea when I will be able to even look. I have had zero luck finding a job for the past six months." I told him.

He shook his head "no price Babe for what we give each other." He said. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Look I agree I would do anything for you and I don't think I could put a price on that but this does have a price and it is a big price with big numbers and lots of zeros and I can't let you pay that price or those prices for me." I told him he shook his head again and I saw a smile ghost across his face.

"Babe what if I told you the price has already been paid?" He said and my mouth shot open. My chin would have hit the floor but my jawbone just didn't allow it to extend that far but it felt like it could have as it just hung there waiting for my brain to kick in gear and close the gap

"You what?" I asked "When?" My words not making sense and only coming out in broken one or two words instead of the sentences I had floating around in my head.

I wanted to be mad I wanted to be glad I wanted to grab him and knock the shit out of him and I wanted to grab him and hold him and kiss him like I had never kissed another man. I wanted to call him my prince a white knight saving me and yet on the other hand I wanted to scream at him for doing this behind my back. I was so confused.

"Babe it was taken care of before you even woke up in the hospital. He said. What? Before I woke up before he talked to me before he knew me he paid my bills. What?

"What do you mean taken care of?" I asked him. He smiled

"All of the late bills, your rent for this month, your electric even your cell phone bill everything is paid. I paid off your credit cards not just the overdue balance." He stated as if that was nothing. Again I had so many mixed feelings running through my head. I was thrilled and I was pissed. How could he just pay that? How could he just snoop and assume I needed the help and paid it as if I was unable to care for myself. I mean I wasn't able to care for myself that was evident but nobody said I needed him doing this all for me. Nobody said I wanted a white knight riding in and saving my ass from my own damn problems. That was for me to do after all I had gotten myself into this mess and well you know the saying. When you make your bed hard…

On the other hand I was grateful it felt like a burden had been lifted off of my shoulders it felt like I was free and it felt wonderful. But how do you just say thank you to someone that has done that for you I mean even though you didn't ask them to do it or want them to do it how do you just say thank you for something like that. I owed this man so much.

"Carlos I didn't ask you to do that for me. I didn't want you to do that for me. Hell I didn't even want you to know what a fucked up situation I was in." I saw his eyes widened when I said the big F world. I didn't care right now this situation called for the big F word and he would just have to get over it. I wasn't some little fragile girl that never cussed it may be the first time he had heard me say it out loud but I was well versed in the world of cussing. I could hold my own.

"Babe at the time I did it to help you. But had I not done it then I would definitely do it now. If we are going to be together then you have to allow me to help you when and where I can. If I needed something and you could help me would you help me?" He asked me and I nodded. There would be no question I would do anything for him.

"Yes I would do whatever I could do to help you, no matter what." He smiled.

"Exactly it is no different I did what I could do to help you no matter what and I was able to do it without batting a eye Babe. That may seem like a lot of money to you but for me Babe it isn't pocket change. I am not saying that to brag or boast I am just trying to get you to understand that it isn't a burden that you thought. Not for me." He said. Not even pocket change who the hell carries more money than that around as pocket change?

"Carlos it isn't just that I mean it is also the fact that I can't pay you back." I told him. I didn't want to go into a relationship owing him anything. A feeling of being in debt to someone wasn't how you started a relationship. At least it wasn't my idea of how to start one.

"Babe what if I said you have given me more than could ever have a value set on it? What if I told you that you gave me more than money could ever buy." I told him and I nodded I knew this trick. The ole you are worth more than the money I have spent on you. Not that any of my past relationships would have ever told me that. Most of them told me quite the opposite in fact that I wasn't worth the money they spent on me and that I was more trouble than I was worth and that I should be paying them for their being with me and putting up with me instead of expecting them to pay for everything.

"I want to be mad at you but I can't be mad at you." I confessed to him.

"Why Babe?"

"Why what why do I want to be mad or why I can't be?" I asked him before I knew what I was saying.

"Both"

"Well I want to be mad because you paid them. You spent money you shouldn't have you spent money that I will never be able to repay you at least I don't know when I will be able to repay you. I am not use to someone taking care of me and doing things like that for me and I guess I just don't know how to say thank you and move on. I am use to depending on myself, being independent and not being dependent on someone coming in and just paying things off for me." I told him taking a breath.

"Yet I can't be mad because I was literally at the end of my rope. I was looking at being homeless. I knew it would be this month or most definitely next month if I didn't soon find a job. I knew I wasn't going to be able to pay the bills and eventually everything would be cut off and I would be put out on the street. Because of that I am grateful for your help. The other reason I can't be mad at you, well that is more personal. It means more than being put out on the street. It means more than not being able to pay the bills. It means everything to me. It is the reason I am here with you now. It is the reason I said I wanted to come with you be with you. It is the reason I am going to move in with you even though it has only been a short time. It is the reason I am saying yes and the reason that scares me the most." I told him unable to control my mouth and just shut up while I was ahead.

I saw the smile on his face as my words filtered into his ears as he was listening and understanding what it was I was saying and the smile just egged me on more. It encouraged me and gave me wind to push further into the uncomfortable zone of my feelings.

"Carlos it is the reason for it all and it is feelings that I have for you. I want to be with you, I want to feel you hold me and I want to feel me holding you. I want us." I said not able to take my words any further I didn't want to scare him away with talk of love but truth be told I was head over heels in love with him and I was only seconds away from telling him until the rational side of my brain kicked and stopped me.

Whew

He smiled big "Oh Babe I want us too." He said pulling me to him as he lowered his lips to mine kissing me like I had never been kissed. This was no simple peak on the cheek this was definitely more, a whole lot more.

Wow.

**Tell me what you think….leave a review!**


	33. Chapter 32: Fitting In

**Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! For those that have Private messages turned off that left Reviews thank you for the reviews! I love reading every one of them so keep them coming.**

**I want to Thank Margaret Fowler for encouraging this story out of me. When I mentioned it to you 6 – 7 months ago you didn't let it die in my head. You kept pressing for it so here it is finally being written! I hope it is everything you thought it would be.**

**Standard Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine. They belong to JE I just take them out of the box and play with them a little. I have begged to keep Ranger and Lester for myself but I have yet to get a response… **

**Chapter 32: Fitting in **

**SPOV**

"No. I can't" I screamed for the last time. My voice raising I was unable to hold the annoyance from my voice.

"Yes, yes you can. Come on and do it." Bobby said his voice even, not rushed, as though my anger and annoyance had no affect on him. I wanted to scream, I wanted to pull my hair out at my frustration and I don't think I would be allowed to say out loud what I wanted to do to Bobby.

"Bobby so help me God if you say that one more time. No, I can't do it." I screamed even louder as if I said it louder he would somehow magically get it, he hadn't gotten it in the past five minutes.

I glared at him. I was currently lying on the floor I had lifted my legs to the point that I thought they were going to fall off. He had me doing dead man leg lifts, then leg lifts where I scissor my legs, and finally lifts where I opened and closed my legs. The cast was heavy and my thighs and butt were burning like someone had sat them on fire.

He wanted me to do more only this time at half the speed and holding them in the air. Needless to say I wasn't able. I hurt bad enough as it was. My side was fucking killing me as every time I pulled my legs up and took a breath pain shot through my chest.

Didn't he understand this?

"Look I hurt. Okay. I can't do anymore." I said pleading to the point that I felt tears sting the backside of my eyes. I prayed that Carlos would come into the gym and save me but I knew he wouldn't. He had been telling me how important keeping my strength up and even building strength as I was gaining some of my weight back. I knew he was right but right now I didn't want to admit that and I didn't want to admit that Bobby was right in asking me what he had. I didn't want to do it. I wanted to lie on the mat and die.

"Beautiful, whatcha doing?" Lester said sliding to the mat lying on his back beside me.

"Lester, make Bobby stop." I whined and pleaded.

"Beautiful Bobby isn't going to stop, I can't make him stop. He is a bull dog when it comes to physical therapy." He said I could hear the sympathy in his voice as he told me. I looked at him. He was half smiling. I narrowed my eyes at him and threw my arm over my eyes. I knew it was a big baby thing to do but at the moment I was desperate to find a way to make Bobby stop.

"Can you shoot him or something?" I asked peeking out around my arm. Lester laughed shaking his head no. I know he wouldn't but he could have gone along and made me feel a little better. I mean Lester was fast becoming my best friend here he could have had a girls back right?

"Lester, Bobby is trying to kill me here." I told him hoping that would get him to at least help me plead my case of not doing the leg lifts and cutting me some slack.

"Beautiful haven't you heard what doesn't kill you makes you stronger? I mean Kelly Clarkson even has a song all about it. This is just going to make you stronger. You can do this. You got this. Don't let Bobby win show him you can do this. Be stronger." He said and I looked at him. Damn he was good.

"Come on Steph you can do it." Bobby said and I finally gave in and raised my legs with him counting extremely slowly. Holy hell I am dying. Lester breaks through my pain and concentration.

"That's right Beautiful you got it. I open my eyes and looked at him and he had his legs up even with mine moving them as I was moving mine. I couldn't help but smile at him. Seeing him lying there doing it with me gave me more motivation and more determination to complete the ten repetitions Bobby had asked me. We weren't going to let Bobby win.

"That's it Beautiful you did it, it wasn't so bad was it?" He asked me and I was lying there with sweat pouring off of my face, my face having been crunched up as it was nothing but pure determination that was completing the last few reps I couldn't help but think was he fucking kidding me?

It wasn't that bad? Well compared to what? That was the question but since he wasn't cutting my leg off or my arm off it was pretty fucking bad and I was hurting. I wasn't in the mood to answer stupid questions like that so I remained quite before I ended up saying something that would make Lester think I wasn't appreciative for him doing this with me and pushing me to do it.

"Good job Steph. See you could do it. I wouldn't ask you to do it if you couldn't do it. Now I have a surprise for you." Bobby said and that got my attention. I wasn't sure about surprises. I liked them on the one part and hate them on the other it just depended on what kind of surprise it is.

I looked over at Lester and he shrugged as he had no idea what my surprise was. I figured it was something good I mean even though he was evil in the gym I liked Bobby outside of the gym, he was a good guy and truth be told I still liked him in the gym I just didn't want to admit it. It was easier to think he was evil when he was drilling me on the mats.

Every physical therapy appointment we had together had gotten tougher. I fully understood why everyone thought physical therapists were sadists in hiding because they really do like to torture you. I get it that it is for your own good but still it doesn't change the fact it is torture at the same time.

"Come on Beautiful" Lester said as he jumped up on his feet in a move that had me wondering how he did that. He reached down grabbed one hand while Bobby grabbed the other they pulled me to my feet.

"What's my surprise?" I asked Bobby unable to hold back any more. He smiled at me and shook his head smiling. He wasn't telling me just yet, damn.

"Come with me." He said and I nodded. Bobby, Lester and I walked out of the gym heading towards Bobby's office on third floor. It was like a hospital room I would be willing to bet that he could even perform a small surgery if he wanted to it had so much equipment in the large room.

"Hop up on the table." Bobby said, I sat down on the table and Lester sat beside me.

"Stephanie, we are going to take the cast off of your leg." Bobby announced and I felt like I wanted to jump up and down I was so excited.

"Yay!" I said beaming a smile that hadn't been on my face since we had entered the gym.

"Don't get too excited you are going to have a walking cast on but the god news is that is more of a brace that you can take off and on. So when you are sleeping, sitting, or lying down you can take it off. But if you stand up or walk you need to have it on, is that clear?" I nodded my head letting him know that I understood him.

"Steph this is important, I am serious. If you are standing and putting any weight on that foot whatsoever you need to have the brace on. There are no exceptions. If you don't think you can do this then I am not taking off the cast." He said. Jesus. I get it don't stand, don't walk without the brace.

"Bobby I understand I won't get up, stand up, or walk without the brace." I told him hoping that would put his worries to ease but I couldn't help but think how well he knew me. Because that completely sounded like something I would do. I would either forget the brace, or just not want to bother with it while I stood or took a step to reach something. I was going to have to keep reminding myself not to mess that up.

Of course I didn't admit it to him for fear that he would leave my cast on. Lester hopped off of the table but he didn't go far.

"Okay Steph just lie down and put your leg up on the table. I am going to cut the cast off." Oh shit.

I lay down and it didn't take a half hour before the cast was off. I thought I would be nervous at first when I saw the saw coming towards my cast leg but oddly I trusted him not to hurt him and when he started I found myself able to just relax on the table and let him work.

Once the cast was pulled away it felt good for the air to hit my leg.

"Whoa Beautiful check out that hair." Lester said. I felt my face heat up. I didn't have to see my reflection to know that my face was bright red. I also didn't have the courage to look as I could only imagine how long the hair on my leg had gotten while I was unable to shave it.

"Steph don't let him worry you. I can take care of it for you or if you want you can do it but I don't want you standing up doing it. I decided since I couldn't stand up and the fact that my left arm was still in the cast I would just further embarrass myself and let Bobby do it.

"Bobby you can do it. It would be hard for me reach the outside anyway with my left arm in a cast." I said a little uncertain but it allowed me time to just lie there on my back. I was so exhausted from our session. I couldn't wait to get back to Carlos' office and crash on his couch.

It had been a week since our talk. I still wasn't all on board with him bailing me out but I wasn't allowing it to bother me as much as it had the day he confessed. It had taken me another day or so to get it out of him exactly how much he had forked out but he had finally caved and told me. I think more to end the conversation than then anything. But at least I was then able to let it go.

He said he didn't want me to repay him and while I understood that it was difficult for me to just accept it because we were together. We were together. We had decided to give us a try and for the past week it has been amazing.

I had gone to my house and packed up the few things I owned. The only important thing to me was the table and chair of my grandmothers so it was a quick pack.

Our evenings were spent holding each other, kissing and enjoying each other's company. Honestly something I have never really experienced with past boyfriends. They were more if I wasn't doing something for them then they weren't wasting their time with me kind of guys.

Thinking about his kisses had my body heating up and I had to remind myself I am currently lying on a table in Bobby's exam room with Bobby and Lester standing beside me looking at me. Those thoughts helped me regain control of my body and mind.

Carlos was an amazing kisser. When his lips touched mine my whole body felt electrified. My lips tingled and my eyes wanted to roll back into my head. My brain disconnects and my legs go weak. He could get me to agree to anything or go along with anything so long as those lips were touching me.

"Okay Steph that's better. I am going to put the brace on your leg and we will work together to get it adjusted to your leg." Bobby said pulling me out of my thoughts of Carlos' wonderful kisses.

"Okay" I said my voice heavier than I would have liked it to be but I refused to be embarrassed or admit as to why it had changed.

**RPOV**

"Mother fucker!" I exclaimed to myself as I pulled up my email. My fucking Handler had sent me another email.

To: Ranger

From: Handler

Subject: Contract

Ranger –

I hope these weeks have given you a chance to reconsider your decision concerning your contract. I was hoping that you would see the error of your decision and contact me but with each week passing I am concerned that isn't happening.

It has come to my attention that you think playing house is more important than your contract. Are we going to have to remind you how important it is that you complete your contract? It would be a shame for anyone else to become involved. I would hate for that innocent girl to be harmed in all of this. I hear she is quite lovely.

Still Your Handler

I pulled air in through my nose as the monster within me woke up as the words of his fucking email filtered through my brain, through to the monster the killer within me.

Stephanie had teased about how she could have been a serial killer and I had been amused at her comments but what I didn't tell her was that I was a serial killer. I had killed more than I even knew. I had a number at one point in time but I had given up keeping count. I guess part of me no longer wanted to know. I still remembered their faces and some of them haunted me at night but none of them had kept me from doing what I had to do or from doing it again.

Just because the Government paid me for it didn't make me less of a killer. In fact, I would argue that it made me more of a killer. It made me an extremely lethal and effective killer. My handler along with anyone who was with him in planning this email would get firsthand experience with how good I am at the job they hire me to do. In fact they will get special treatment. Treatment that even most of my targets didn't get, the privilege of me, up close and personal.

They will get the opportunity to meet the monster within.

The thought of Stephanie getting caught in the middle of all this was enough to make me sick. Definitely a weaker man would have been losing his lunch in the bathroom or trash can. I couldn't let her get hurt. I couldn't let her get caught in this shit. I couldn't stand the thought of her being hurt by those fuckers because of me.

"Tank" I yelled. I knew he would hear me and he would know the seriousness of my request just because I yelled for him. It wasn't but seconds he was standing in my door.

"Come in and shut the door." I told him while I pulled up the video feed to see where Stephanie was. I knew she would be coming into my office and I didn't want her walking in on this conversation.

She was in Bobby's exam room. He was cutting the cast off of her leg and I cursed myself for not checking earlier so I could be there with her. I knew that someone cutting that close to your leg was a little unnerving and I wanted to be there with her. Oh well I had blown that so I couldn't continue to focus on that fuck up.

"Tank we have a situation and I need you to promise me something." I told him. The look on his face told me that he understood the seriousness of what I was about to ask him and what it meant to me. I had very few times in my life asked him to promise me anything. That was something that teenage girls asked someone for not grown badass men like us.

"Tank I think Stephanie is going to be targeted." I told him and I watched his eyes harden hearing my words. "I haven't told you but I walked away from my contract. The last mission was about as FUBARed as it got and I decided I was done with their shit and walked out." I informed him he nodded.

I hadn't told any of my men including Tank about the mission, about the women, or about walking out of the briefing. I wasn't planning on telling them but now with this situation I needed to take care of this and I needed to make sure they understood the potential danger.

"My Handler wants me to come back and he has all but threatened to use Stephanie to make me complete my contract. That shit isn't happening but I need to know she is protected while I deal with their threats."

I told him and the monster within me wanted to spring into action but I needed to hold him back. Now was not the time. I looked at the monitor and what I saw had me standing up with such force it pushed my chair crashing into the shelf behind my desk. I didn't give a fuck that things were crashing to the floor.

Tank got in my way. "Man what are you thinking, what are you doing?" He asked me. He was already reeling from what I told him and I could feel the tension in his muscles as he held me back from the door. His hand was on my shoulder and I was seriously contemplating moving it for him and shoving it up his ass.

I looked at his hand and I was ready to put Tank on his ass.

"Man talk to me." He said putting additional pressure on my shoulder.

"Brown is shaving her fucking leg." I said, my voice strained and louder than I would have liked for anyone to hear. I wasn't use to showing how things affected me. I kept my emotions to myself and until now nothing had caused me to break that. Well I should say until her. I don't think I have had control of my emotions since I met her.

"Man you need to stand down. You know he is just doing it as part of his job. You know it isn't anything to it. You need to get your head on straight you go down there like this and you are going to scare the fuck out of her." He said. I knew he was right but right now I wasn't able to see anything but red and green. Anger and jealousy wasn't a good combination and it had the monster within me seething for action and thirsting for blood.

"Man, don't let her walk into this office and see this shit. You need to put that fucker away and get yourself under control. Get your shit straight soldier." Tank barked at me.

I stood straighter sucking in air through my nose willing myself to calm, willing my legendary control to come back to me. This wasn't me. I didn't do this shit. I never went off half cocked.

"Man I will protect her. We all will protect her. It doesn't matter what the fuck your handler does we will protect her and we will deal with whatever he sends her way. Nothing they send her way will touch her. You know we are the best and we will defend her everyone of us." He said to me basically promising me what I needed to hear. I knew he was right and I knew it went without saying but I would be lying if I didn't say hearing the words did help me focus myself.

I nodded.

"I am going to leave you in here and when Stephanie comes up here I am going to steer her to my office. Once you have calmed your fucking ass down you can come and get her. Don't step in my office with that fucking monster on the loose. I will protect her and if that means protecting her from you then so be it. Control yourself soldier." Tank said forcefully. That was the reason he was my second in command and why I trusted him with my life and more importantly with Stephanie's life.

I nodded. I walked back over to my desk moving my chair and picking up the items that had fallen from the shelf. I sat down in the chair and looked at the monitor. She was sitting on the table while Bobby was adjusting the walking brace for her leg.

I knew Tank was right that Bobby was just doing his job but the jealousy that surged through me coupled with the pure hatred already running through my veins was a lethal combination. I realized how dangerous it could have been for Bobby, Lester and even Stephanie had Tank not been here to stop me. Lester was down there with her and Bobby but Lester wouldn't have been able to stop me not with the emotions running wild through me.

I took another calming breath but it wasn't really doing it. I knew what could do it but I was worried that before she was able to calm me I would hurt her or someone else if my emotions got out of control again so I was staying away from her until I had myself under control. I was learning when it came to her I had little to no control.

My legendary control goes out of the window and I become a man that flies off at the handle, gets lost in his emotions and completely over react to situations that I would have never given a shit about prior to her. I was going to have to find a way to control these emotions. There was no way I could continue like this without controlling these emotions. These emotions weren't good for me emotions like these are what get people killed. They also weren't good for me, my men or Stephanie.

**TPOV**

Fuck. He was going to have to get control. I watched for her to leave the infirmary and make her way the fifth floor. When I saw Stephanie and Santos enter the elevator I made sure I was standing in the hallway to catch her before she reached Ranger's office.

Soon as the elevator stopped I could hear her.

"Santos, can it already. I swear to God if you tell anyone what you saw I will find a way to get even with you. Do you hear me?" She practically screamed and I wondered what it was Lester had seen. She was using his last name so she was pissed at him.

They had become fast friends. I wasn't surprised as Lester is the most outgoing of us. He had sort of taken her under his wing and when Ranger wasn't with her he was if he could be. Hell he was with her every minute he could be. I knew he had feelings for her but I also knew he knew all too well that she belonged to the boss man.

She had chosen Ranger just as much as Ranger had chosen her. I was happy for the both of them because it seemed that they fit each other and that they needed each other.

When the doors opened the look on her face was cute she was mad. She started walking out of the elevator she still had her crutches and in her haste to retreat from Lester she caught the crutch on the door. Had it not been for Lester she would have fallen. I thanked God he was there and was able to react fast enough to keep her from falling.

Personally I couldn't wait until she could say goodbye to the crutches. In her fit of anger soon as Lester righted her she through the crutch that had tripped her. I sighed oh boy another one flying off at the handle. Fuck I had just calmed down Ranger now it looked liked as though I was going to need to calm her down. How the fuck do you calm down a woman?

I know how to calm down a soldier, a fighter, a man but a woman well that took something I didn't have. It took a delicate touch and well let's face it there is nothing delicate about me. Here goes nothing I thought as I walked down the hall picking up her crutch and handing it to her.

"You okay?" I asked and she glared at me. Fuck.

"I will take that as a no. Come to my office with me." I asked her as I turned around.

"Why?" she asked me not just agreeing and following along. I should have known with her it wasn't going to be easy. After the last couple of weeks I knew her well enough to know she would question the different routine.

"Ranger is working on something confidential." I lied and told her. She nodded and followed along not questioning anything further.

"So what as you pissed at Lester?" I asked her.

"I am not pissed at him, not really." She confessed and I raised my eyebrow at her. That wasn't what it sounded like. I needed her to explain how that voice and that demand wasn't her being pissed at him.

"Well once Bobby got my walking cast on he had me step on the scales. He is keeping track of my weight. I didn't want to do it but he made me. Lester was there and he saw how much I weighed. He was teasing me that he was going to tell everyone." She said like we gave a fuck.

Women and their weight here she was severely underweight and she was worried if we knew how much she weighed. I shook my head.

"Little girl, we all know you weigh a hundred and five pounds." I told her and her mouth dropped open.

"Whh…How? Did he text you, everyone?" She asked me her eyes narrowing and I could see her contemplating the death of Lester. I shook my head no to save Lester's ass for the most part.

"We are aware of our surroundings we are conservative and we can look at you and pretty much know your height, weight without looking at least within a few pounds." I confessed to her.

"hmm" she said her eyes opening back up as she calmed a little bit.

"Look you are still under weight so it isn't a big deal. Not that anyone of us would say anything anyway we are all fully aware of how women can be when it comes to their weight and none of us want to be on your bad side. Hell we would rather meet Ranger on the mats than piss you off." I told her.

I saw a smile play at her lips at the thought that we feared her more than Ranger. We did but not for the reasons she thought. We feared her emotions none of us wanted an emotional woman on our hands.

We walked into my office and she immediately went over to my couch and laid down across it propping up her leg. I sat down at my desk and started working on some paper work. It wasn't but a few minutes before I heard her breathing even out and I knew she was asleep. I smiled at the thought.

I would be lying if hearing her sleeping wasn't in some way soothing and made the boring tedious paperwork I needed to do seem less painful.

It wasn't too much longer before Ranger popped his head into my office. The monster had been put back in his cage and he was back in control. He saw her sleeping and smiled.

"Man you can leave her. Don't wake her." I told him. He nodded and walked over and took a seat in one of the chairs across from my desk. He didn't say anything but I think he too enjoyed listening to her calm even breathing.

**Tell me what you think….leave a review!**


	34. Chapter 33: Welcome to my World

**Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! For those that have Private messages turned off that left Reviews thank you for the reviews! I love reading every one of them so keep them coming.**

**I want to Thank Margaret Fowler for encouraging this story out of me. When I mentioned it to you 6 – 7 months ago you didn't let it die in my head. You kept pressing for it so here it is finally being written! I hope it is everything you thought it would be.**

**Standard Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine. They belong to JE I just take them out of the box and play with them a little. I have begged to keep Ranger and Lester for myself but I have yet to get a response… **

**Chapter 33: Welcome to my World.**

**RPOV**

It had been a few weeks since Lester had given me the background check for Morelli. I wasn't impressed but I had a plan for him. Joe and her mother had been by Rangeman now for the second time. This time Cal turned them away.

Joe was threatening a search warrant saying that Stephanie was being held here against her will. He knew it was bull shit but her mother had gotten him all worked up. I needed to talk to my Babe before I did something she would be pissed about.

Stephanie had talked to her dad several times. He had told her that he had tried to talk to her mother but her mother wasn't relenting until she laid eyes on Stephanie and was able to talk to her. I had made it clear to the men that they turn her away until they hear differenlyt from either Stephanie or me.

I picked up the phone dialed Cal's number. "Cal my office now" I told him and hung the phone up. It wasn't five minutes before Cal was knocking on my door. "Enter".

"Ranger"

"Cal, I need to know your thoughts on Joe Morelli and Stephanie's mother." I pulled up the feed of the gym to make sure that my Babe was still there doing her physical therapy. She was busy working on an exercise Brown had given her so I relaxed a little knowing I had time for this conversation.

"Ranger the man is deranged. He actually had the nerve to say that we were holding her against her will that he would get a warrant on the basis that we had kidnapped her." He told me I nodded.

"What did you tell him?" I asked him.

"I told him to do what he felt was necessary but that he had no justification for the warrant. That she had talked to her Father and told him that she is here by choice. I also told him that she would be willing to talk to him if it wasn't for the fact that she thought he was a dick." I winced at his words I didn't need Joe coming here with a warrant for her for something Cal said she said.

"What did he say to that?" I asked a little more anxious sounding than I would have liked.

"Well, it wasn't Joe that responded as much as it was her bitch of a mother. I love Angel but her mother is a fucking bitch." He said shaking his head and I felt the hairs on the back of my neck ruffle at his admission of love for my Babe.

He held his hands up clearly reading me "Ranger I didn't mean it like that. I meant it more like a little sister than well…you know." He said shrugging his shoulders and I nodded I hated that I was that easily read but I let it drop. I was doing that a lot lately when it came to my Babe. It was just Cal and I knew he wouldn't say anything outside of this office.

"What did she say?" I asked, my voice sounding normal, to get him back on track.

"She screeched that Stephanie would never say anything like that about Joseph. She demanded to speak to her. She said she wanted her to take her home and talk some sense into her because it was clear we were brain washing her." Cal said.

"What did you tell her?"

"I told her that Stephanie was at home. That she made her own decisions and that she had willingly moved into the building. I didn't tell them she was living in your apartment, I didn't know if you wanted that to be public information." He said. I wouldn't have cared but I was glad that he thought about our privacy first.

I nodded. "For the record it is our apartment and that isn't a need to know." I told him. I saw his eyes slightly widen but that was as far as his face gave away the surprise he felt from my statement.

I looked back at the monitor she was still working with Bobby.

"Did you tell Stephanie about this?" I asked him.

"I haven't had a chance but I am not going to keep this from her." He said, I heard the warning in his voice.

I held up my hand. "Cal, I am not going to keep any of this from her. In fact, I plan on telling her as soon as she comes back up to my office. I have a plan and if she is truly adamant about not seeing him then I may be able to help her with that." I didn't bother saying it would help us out as well.

He smiled and nodded his head.

"Anything else?" He asked and I nodded and motioned to the chair in front of my desk. I wasn't sure how much I was willing to share with him but I need a few other people to know. I wasn't exactly sure how my handler had found out about Stephanie but I had my suspicions.

"Cal, what I am about to tell you doesn't leave this room." I quickly checked the monitor to see where Stephanie was. "I haven't told Stephanie about this and I don't plan to until I have formed a plan and I know what I am going to do about it." I told him. I saw the look of disapproval cross his face, I ignored it, this was my fucking decision, not his.

"A threat has been made against Stephanie. It's a long story, one that involves confidential information and my government contract. I can tell you it isn't a former enemy but now they could be viewed as the enemy since they've hinted at threatening her." I told him and I watched as his face hardened, the tattoo on his forehead stood out more predominately and his eyes hardened, turning darker appearing sharper. Good that was the reaction I wanted to see.

"Can you tell us who threatened her?" He said and I shook my head no.

"No; but that doesn't matter, he isn't the one that will be sent to do the dirty work." I told him knowing he was smart enough to put the pieces together without me point blank telling him about the whole situation. The core team knew, I had told them the day I got the threatening email.

"All of the core team knows. You are the only one outside of the core members to know. I plan on telling one other person within Rangeman and that is Hector. I am telling you and him because I want her protected at all times." I said.

He looked questioning me and I waited for his question before answering.

"Can I ask why Hector sir? I mean, I am not sure he and Stephanie have ever met. You know he sort of stays to himself in his shop and well out of all of us, I would say he comes off the least friendly and you know that none of us are known for our friendliness." He stated. I knew he was right.

Hell half the men at Rangeman feared Hector. Most didn't understand him they looked at him and saw the gang tats and knowing the legends of Hector it was enough for them keep their distance. Hector was a loner he liked working and being alone and I even questioned asking him. However I trusted Hector we had a history of respect and trust that went to our core. I knew if I asked him to protect her for me that she would be safe. He would protect her even if he hated her. However, I wanted him and Cal to want to protect her.

"Cal, I understand your concern, I trust Hector or I wouldn't consider asking him." I told him, I didn't need to further justify my decision.

"Yes, Sir." Cal said.

"Right now she hasn't wanted to go outside of Rangeman I suspect with her losing the cast and having a walking cast that may change in the near future. I hope to have this problem resolved by then but if it isn't then she will need to be protected. I don't want her to view you, any of the core members, or Hector as body guards but that is what you will be. I want her to think of you as a friend going with her. I know you consider her a friend and after your confession here maybe more like a sister. I know you are ready to protect her because of your questioning my decisions." I told him letting him know that I am not keen on my decisions being questioned. My decisions are to be followed as orders not questioned but when it came to her I would allow them, from certain Rangeman.

"Sir, I was just thinking…" he went to say and I held up my hand.

"I get it, and when it comes to her, I am okay with you questioning some things. I want to make sure I am doing right by her and that I don't lose focus of what is truly important, her happiness." I told him. I saw his eyes widen a little and I cursed myself for giving away more than I meant.

"Ranger, I think you should tell her. If I were her, I would want to know that someone had threatened me. If you want, I can work with her on some self defense moves once the casts come off." He offered and I nodded.

"Thanks Cal. That will be her decision, not mine. If she wants to learn self defense, or anything else any of us have to teach her, then I fully support the training." I told him. He nodded smiling I could see the hope in his eyes and I realized I wasn't the only man here in the building unable to control my emotions when it came to her. Cal, welcome to my world.

He stood gave me a final look and then made his way to the door. I wasn't sure what that look was for but I wasn't going to psychoanalyze it like a teenager.

I picked up Joe's background check and if I was going to do what I wanted I was going to have to call in a big favor. It was good thing that I had some high ranking officials within all of the alphabet soup who owed me favors.

I heard a soft knock and I knew it was my Babe. I got up rounded my desk and opened the door. I didn't care who saw, I pulled her into my arms and placed my lips on hers. I didn't care if the whole company was in the hallway looking. My lips missed hers.

She smiled when I pulled back. "What was that for?" She asked her eyes a darker shade blue her cheeks flushed. Damn what that vision did to me. I wanted to lay her down and take her so bad. I knew she was still not ready for that but it was all I could do to hold myself back.

"Just because I wanted to Babe, would you prefer I stop?" I asked her hoping she would say no. She smiled even brighter shaking her head no, I pulled her to me once again claiming her lips, my tongue sinking deep within her mouth caressing her tongue tasting her with every stroke the tension between us built until it had us both gasping for air. It also had me wishing I had pulled her into my office before giving everyone that much of a show.

My dick was hard as a hammer but I knew there would be no release for me at least not for a while longer. Not until Bobby released her for strenuous activities.

"How was therapy?" I asked her, trying to change the subject. She blew out breath that I took to be from frustration. The look on her face said it all and I fought the urge to smile. She looked too cute a look of annoyance with a slight side of pout.

"I am convinced either Bobby is trying to kill me or he is some sadist who gets off on inflicting pain on others, namely me." She stated. I couldn't hold back the laughter at the surprise of the words she chose. Bobby was going to love this.

"What?" She asked and I sobered slightly looking at her.

"I knew it, it's just me. He has a thing against curly brown hair girls." She summed up as if that was the answer to the question and I shook my head but managed to restrain my laughter.

"No Babe, he doesn't have anything against you." I tried to tell her but the look on her face all but told me that she wasn't going to agree with me. I shook my head walking back into the office. She took up her position on the couch lying down. Therapy always wore her out. She didn't have much in the line of reserves and therapy seemed to zap them all.

I had one more question I needed to ask her before she went to sleep.

"Babe, I need to tell you something and ask you something. I need you to be honest with me okay. This is important." I told her and she sat up on the sofa looking at me.

"Joe and your mother have come here twice demanding to see you. Both times they have been turned away. I told you about the first time they came by and they came again yesterday evening. I need to first ask if you want to see them, if you want to talk to them. If so, we can arrange it, either here within Rangeman or somewhere else. You know you only have to tell me and I will make it happen.

She nodded. "Carlos I really don't want to talk to either of them. I especially don't want to talk to Joe however I think in order to get my mother to leave me alone I am going to have to talk to her." She said but I could tell she didn't like it.

I nodded.

"Babe, what if I could almost guarantee that you never saw Joe again, would you be upset by that? What I am thinking about would have him moving out of the burg, away from Trenton." I told her.

"Carlos I don't care. I don't want you going out of your way or using your resources for him. He isn't worth it. I don't care to see him or talk to him and honestly him moving away from Trenton that would be a good thing but I don't want it to be a burden on you, or on Rangeman. He isn't worth it; I can deal with him the few times we would come in contact with each other." She told me and I could see the truth in her eyes. She didn't want the bother. It wasn't that she hated him so much as it was just indifference; she would rather not be bothered by having to deal with him. That made me happier to see that emotion within her than if she had hated him.

Hating someone isn't the worse emotion, being indifferent now that is far worse. To hate someone means that person has power over you, just as if you loved them. When you are indifferent that person holds no power and has no affect. That person can't hurt you emotionally because they just don't matter enough to. That isn't the case with someone you love or hate.

"Thanks Babe that told me what I needed to know. Don't worry there's no burden on me, or Rangeman. In fact if this works out it will be doing Rangeman and me a favor just as much as it will be doing you a favor." I told her.

I pressed my lips to hers but I didn't take it any deeper. I then kissed her forehead "sleep well Babe. I will be here when you wake up." I tell her as she lies back down on the couch closing her eyes. It was all I could do to force my body to stand up and walk back to my desk. Every fiber of my being wanted to join her on the couch and pull her close to me.

Once I heard her voice even out and I knew she was asleep I set about calling in those favors I needed.

The person I called was an old friend. We had grown up together from the time we were toddlers. I had picked the Rangers he had picked the life of a suit. Picking up the phone I dialed the number I knew by heart.

"Hello" he answered and I smiled.

"Yo" I said knowing he would instantly know my voice and my greeting.

"Ranger what the hell man? How are you?" He said I could hear excitement in his voice. We hadn't spoken in way to long.

"Good, man. It's been too long." I told him.

"Yeah, way too long. How is everyone?" He asked me and I knew he was talking about my family and I felt a little bad to admit that he probably knew more about them than I did.

"All the guys here are good, my family outside of here you probably know more about what is going on with them than I do." I confessed.

"Yeah well you need to make a point to see your family more. You know that." I blew out breath of air expelling the air from my lungs in frustration, guilt, and a little irritation at his need to lecture me.

"Yeah I know man. Things are changing so we will see." I told him. Waiting for him to take the bait I knew he wouldn't be able to resist.

"Yeah I heard, the underground chatter amongst us suits is that a little lady has taken you down. That she has moved in and well you can imagine some of the things that are being said. It basically boils down to the fact that she is wearing your balls instead of you." He said and I felt anger surge through me.

"Any names I need to be aware of?" I asked him my voice tight low and lethal in tone.

"Well I am sure if you think long and hard enough you could guess but man your handler has been a big one." He said. Fucker. I knew that fucker wouldn't be able to just quit with the email to me. His ego was too large for his fucking body. It didn't matter he would learn a hard lesson.

"Are you going to tell me about her?" He pushed.

"Yeah her name is Stephanie Plum. She moved in a few weeks ago. Its new and unchartered territory for me, but rest assured, my balls are still attached and anyone who needs a reminder only needs to knock on my fucking door." I told him making it clear the meaning behind my promise.

I may be changing for her and I may be feeling a softer side where she is concerned but make no mistake, I am still dangerous, I am still lethal, and I will kick all of their asses.

"What's up? I know you didn't call me to talk about this." He said and I smiled. He knew me well.

"I am calling in that favor you owe me." I told him. He was silent on the phone and I knew why. He had told me five years ago when I had saved his ass that he owed me a favor. That whenever I needed something no matter what it was he would be there.

"You are calling to cash in a five year old favor?" He asked me, his voice telling me he wasn't believing what he was saying.

"Yes I am." I told him just as serious as I could. "Are you telling me just because it has been five years the favor is no longer valid?" I asked. Knowing it wasn't true but wanting an answer none the less. His hesitant and disbelieving voice pushed me to want to hear the answer.

"No man, you know I am not taking it back. I am good for my favors regardless of the years." He said.

"Good. I need you to get someone on at the bureau." I told him.

"You need what? Why do you need to get someone on at the bureau? What the hell are you planning and how do you think I can just get someone on? You know there are protocols we need to follow." He said.

"I know that, that is why I am calling in that favor." I told him. I didn't say it was going to be easy but he would figure it out I had faith he could get the job done or I wouldn't have called him.

"Look man" he started but paused. I had him he was going to do it. I could see him closing his eyes swearing under his breath grabbing the bridge of his nose and finally shaking his head before he would let out the breath he was holding, which I had just heard, only then would he start talking again. "Okay man what's the name." He asked me and I couldn't help but smile.

"He has tried out before and was turned down, he failed the psych exam." I told him.

"Fuck, what the fuck are you going to have me do? Hire some crazy fucker?" He asked me I could hear almost a hint of desperation in his voice. I smiled.

"Look you can put it under someone's name you don't like as the hiring figure I don't give a fuck. Just get him on."

"Well since he took the exam and the psych evaluation and failed it isn't going to be as easy as there is a record. I am going to have to somehow figure up a way to request that he come and redo them." He said.

"Well I let you figure out how to do that, his name is Joseph Anthony Morelli. I want you to get him on, then I him assigned to the field office in Anchorage Alaska. From there I want them to send him to the resident office in Fairbanks, Alaska." I told him.

"What the hell did he do to you?" He asked me.

"Nothing, he is a pain in the ass no doubt, but he has done nothing to me. Stephanie and he have a past and well she doesn't want to have to deal with him and he doesn't want to go along with that. He is a Trenton Cop who has wanted on at the bureau for some time I just want to make his dream come true." I said, as if I was Santa Claus making all the good boys dreams come true.

"Yeah and then sending him to Fairbanks, Alaska the middle of nowhere, where he will freeze his balls off, live in darkness for almost half of the year, and be at risk for a polar bear attack." He said laughing. I couldn't help but join along. It was a perfect plan.

"Well someone needs to guard the polar bear from poachers." I said laughing along with him.

"That isn't what we do." He said. I shook my head.

"Well maybe he should. It could be a special assignment. Think of it as broadening your horizons." I said and he laughed.

"Man you know this isn't going to be easy right? You could just ship his ass to a third world country easier." Yeah but what would be the fun in that? I mean he would be there all of what one day tops and then it would be all over said and done with. Here he will have his dream job in Alaska. I mean it wasn't all bad right he would be able to say he was FBI.

"Yeah but this way is more fun and more satisfying. Oh and when you make the offer mention nothing of the assignment until he has taken the job. Then make it so he has no choice but to go. The point is him being as far away from here as possible. I figure outside of the continental United States is good enough." I told him.

"Man you are evil." He said and I smiled. He had no idea.

"You are going to do it?" I asked him already knowing the answer.

"Yeah provided he accepts he will have a job with the FBI and be assigned to Alaska within three months. Where do you want him to do his training? The main training farm is in Virginia not too far from Jersey. We could send him to our west coast farm. Would that be good?" He asked me taking it one step further.

"Yeah man that would be great. I hadn't thought about where he would go for training. West Coast sounds good." I told him smiling.

"Well then I would say if he accepts the offer and agrees he will be on the west coast within a few weeks month tops." He told me. I smiled.

"Thanks man. You pull this off we are even." I told him.

"Man, you know this isn't the same. I don't know that I can call it even. But thanks." He said in all seriousness.

"Brother we are even." I told him. We may have had different mothers and fathers but we had been brothers for a long time. JT was a good man, a man I knew I could always count on and he had proven it once again.

"Thanks don't be a stranger and for the love of God go visit your Mother." He said, yeah…yeah.

"Okay man will do. As for not being a stranger the street goes both ways. If you hear anymore rumblings about Stephanie, do me a favor and let me know. Someone is threatening her to get to me. They won't like what they find when they reach me but let me know if you hear anything." I asked him

"Will do man." With that we hung up. One problem dealt with. Now on to her mother, that was going to be a problem that would take even more finesse and more favors. I needed to find an in that would work. I needed to talk to my Babe and get more information.

Picking up the phone I dialed Lester's number. "My office" I said and hung the phone up.

Few seconds later he knocked. "Come in" I said my voice lowered to keep from waking up my Babe.

I pointed toward the couch as I motioned for him to be quiet. I didn't want him to wake her.

"Hey man what's up?" He asked me. I motioned to the seat in front of my desk and he sat down looking at me.

"I want you to gather some intel for me." I told him and his head went slightly to the back and the side.

"I want some information on my Babe's parents. Mainly the Mother but if you find out something about the father that will help me deal with her Mother then I want to know. I need to figure out away to get her out of Stephanie's life. She came here with Morelli again last night." I told Lester figuring he already knew. News traveled fast within Rangeman almost too fast.

It was the reason my Handler knew about Stephanie. It wasn't intentional I am not his only asset, former asset. Other members of Rangeman in other cities are operatives and he is their handler I am sure he tricked the information out of them. Typically if the handler asks us a question we answer it. That is protocol. It is part of the trust relationship between operative and handler. Only my trust with him had been broken. The men that were still his assets didn't know that. They would learn it soon, I wouldn't want what happened to me to happen to one of them. When I am ready I will tell them right now I had other things to worry about like taking care of her mother and then my handler.

These two were going to take more strategic planning one more so than the next.

"The Bitch and the Bastard." How fitting Lester said.

"I have handled things with him thanks to the background information you gave me. Now I need info on her so I can handler her. Stephanie has said something to her dad but either he hasn't told his wife or she isn't listening to him because she isn't going to stay away from here. Stephanie said she will just keep coming until her mother speaks to her. She even went as far to cave and agreed to talk to her the next time she comes around. I could tell she didn't want to do it, so I want to make plans to keep her away from here, depending on how strong Stephanie feels about it I would like to get her out of Trenton." I told Lester and he smiled at my suggestion.

"I have a couple of suggestion where we could ship her." He said smiling, his eyes twinkling with mischief just as they did when we were kids and neck deep in trouble. Usually it was some shit he started and pulled everyone around him into.

"We aren't shipping her to a third world country." I stated taking that idea and thought off of the table before it started to sound too good to me. She was her mother I didn't want her dead I just wanted there to be more distance for my Babe's sake. In the end it would be her decision but like today I wanted to have a plan just in case she found herself no longer wanting to see her mother either.

"Besides it will be her decision." I said looking at her lying sleeping sound on the couch. He nodded standing up.

I nodded to let him know that was all, he made his way to the door.

I picked up the phone, one last phone call to make. "Hector, my office." I told him and hung up. It wasn't but a few minutes the knock came. "Enter." I told him.

Hector stepped into my office. It was rare for me to call him to my office. I could see tension around his eyes. I once again motioned for him to be quiet while pointing to Stephanie. He nodded that he understood. I motioned for him to have a seat.

"I called you here to ask you something. This is a request not an order if you don't want to do it just say so and it is okay. I won't be mad, or even upset. Granted I probably won't like it but I won't do anything about it." I told him. I needed his buy in. I didn't want to order him to do this and then him not want to and not taking it seriously. That wasn't Hector or any of my men but I needed to know they were vested on their own and not because of fear from me or what I may do.

He nodded letting me know he understood.

"Stephanie, who I don't think you have met, has been threatened in order to get to me. They are using her as leverage." I told him.

"Who are they?" He asked me and I shook my head.

"I can't tell you it is confidential and it is connected to my contract with the government." Hoping he would be able to put the puzzle together and come up with the answer. Like Cal. He nodded.

"I want you to watch over her." I asked him. He looked at me and then looked at her. He was quiet for a while and I was thinking that he was going to turn me down. It would be his choice if he did. I wouldn't do anything though it would piss me off.

"Okay" He said offering nothing further. I felt a whole lot better about the conversation I had with Cal than the one I was having with Hector. I raised my eyebrow at him questioning his agreement but he offered nothing further.

I was about to say something when I saw movement. I looked over as she stretched and yawned big. Covering her mouth a little late our eyes met still heavy with sleep heavy. She blinked a few times and then locked in on Hector being in the room. She sat up and slowly stood as if to make sure she had her balance with the walking cast on.

Hector stood and faced her when he saw she was walking his way. She held her hand out towards him "Hi my name is Stephanie. I don't think we have met yet." She said yawning in spite of how hard she was trying to fight it.

"Hola" Hector said pulling out his Spanish. It was one of his many defenses to keep people away. He knew English as well as all of us but when it came to people he didn't know he only used Spanish.

"Hi" she said looking at me, I knew she wanted to ask him more questions but wasn't sure if he would understand her.

"What floor do you work on?" She asked him and he looked to me. I wasn't going to play his game with her he was going to answer her and he was going to answer her in English. I raised my eyebrow at him to let him know what I wanted him to do.

"I work on the second floor, in the tech room." He offered up and she nodded her head.

"So you are the computer guy." She summed up and I couldn't help the smile. Saying Hector was a computer guy was like saying the Grand Canyon was a hole in the ground. He did work on computers but he was so much more and it went well beyond just working on computers.

Hector nodded not correcting her assessment of him so he wouldn't have to explain everything he did. Hector wasn't one to waste words. I didn't like to either but he made me look like a Chatty Cathy.

"You don't talk much do you?" She questioned pushing him and I wondered how much pushing he would actually take before he walked out and told me no to my earlier request but when his lips quirked into an almost smile I relaxed. He liked her.

She wasn't intimated by his looks, she wasn't put off by him using Spanish and the fact that he wasn't talking hadn't fazed her a bit. She was still trying to talk to him and learn something about him and I think that amused him.

I also think it unnerved him a little that none of his defenses that he has relied on all these years seemed to work with her. I was smiling on the inside and thinking welcome to my world.

**Let me know what you think…Leave a review!**


	35. Chapter 34: It's all Rams Fault

**Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! For those that have Private messages turned off that left Reviews thank you for the reviews! I love reading every one of them so keep them coming.**

**I want to Thank Margaret Fowler for encouraging this story out of me. When I mentioned it to you 6 – 7 months ago you didn't let it die in my head. You kept pressing for it so here it is finally being written! I hope it is everything you thought it would be.**

**Standard Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine. They belong to JE I just take them out of the box and play with them a little. I have begged to keep Ranger and Lester for myself but I have yet to get a response… **

**Chapter 34: It's all Ram's Fault.**

**SPOV**

"Ram so help me god, if you do that again I am going to buy you a rhinestone collar and start calling you Gucci." I told him, reminding him of Lester's comment in the garage the day I came to Rangeman.

I had referenced Ram as reminded of a Pitbull and Lester said he thought he was more Chinese Crested than Pitbull. You know the dog that is more rhinestone collar and designer than say the brute and brawn of a Pitbull.

"Damn Steph that is cold." He said, yeah well I never said I was nice.

"Well then stop it." I told him. I had been helping out a little around the building for about a week or so. I was feeling better; I was healing and I needed something to do to keep from going completely nuts. Besides it was a way to help out and sort of repay Carlos. Not that I thought what I was doing was actually repaying anything but it was helping in some small way.

My problem right now was Ram. I was trying to order some office supplies and I was using the empty cubicle across from Ram's and soon as I was completely focused on my work he would shoot a rubber band over at me, or toss a paper clip at me, or bounce a balled up piece of paper off my head. I swear sometimes men can be such a pain in the ass.

Of course I would toss them back, he would stop, but as soon as I was once again focused on my work he would throw something else at me making me jump, and him laugh, when it hit me. I think he liked the idea of startling me. I tend to startle easily which he learned the first time I used this desk.

I was sitting there redoing the company directory updating phone numbers, locations, etc from information provided to me when he walked up behind me and just touched me. It was innocent but I practically jumped out of my chair and well he had a big laugh.

Now he is determined to worry me to death. His excuse is he is teaching me how to keep from being startled. So far all he has taught me is that my restraint is better than I thought because I am actually surprised I haven't shot him yet, with his own gun.

As I felt another paper ball bounce off the back of my head. "Ram, I mean it!" I screamed causing a few people to look up over or around the cubicle wall. I blushed as I became center of attention from my outburst. I hadn't meant to be that loud but I was so frustrated, at this point it just came out.

Ram just started laughing shaking his head. I narrowed my eyes at him. I heard someone growl, I think it was me. "I warned you." I threatened him as I was forming a plan. "Gucci" I said causing a few of the guys who had heard the story to laugh around us. I think I heard one of them guys say "Stupid man." I couldn't agree more.

I booted up the computer up opening up the Internet I opened Google. I blushed at the websites that came up. I had been searching for about half an hour. Some of the websites I had been on had me gaping at what they offered. Human collars were the most innocent thing they offered. Most of the websites I had visited was chains, whips, and sex toys of every variety one could think. I was completely red faced but I was focused on finding the rhinestone collar for Ram, I was determined not to be deterred by the other offerings on the websites.

I never heard anyone walk up behind me. I was leaned forwarded looking at a website that specialty must have been in restraint as they had any all things imaginable to tie someone up. Some of the items were being demonstrated and I tried not to focus but it was difficult to not look. You know the whole curiosity killed the cat thing.

It wasn't until I heard the voice behind me that I knew I had been caught.

"Babe?" Shit I heard the question in just the one word.

I quickly closed the window hoping he hadn't seen what was up on the screen. I turn towards him blushing full out; red. Shit. I look past him and Ram is looking at me his eyes widen; shit, double shit.

I try smiling putting on my innocent face, flashing the puppy dog eyes at Carlos and Ram; no effect. Shit, this wasn't good. I looked up and Lester was looking over Ram's cubicle wall he was smiling about as big as he could without his face splitting. His eyes dancing with laughter flashing green. I could tell he had fully seen what I was looking at. Shit, triple shit.

I blushed more, if that was possible. Damn I couldn't speak. Carlos was standing in front of me his eyebrow quirked up but his eyes darken, the black of his eyes almost consuming all of the normally rich brown color of his eyes.

My mouth was open but nothing was coming out. What was I going to say? I focused on Ram.

"It's Ram's fault." I exclaimed I could hear the desperation in my voice. I was hoping the earth would just open up and swallow me.

I saw Carlos' lips twitch. "Beautiful exactly what did Ram do that had you searching sex toy sites? I want to know how to get in on that action. You know I am all about sticks and stones break my bones, but whips and chains well that does nothing but excite me." He said. Shit. He had seen. Quadruple shit.

"Santos!" Carlos barked out in such a manner that I saw Lester lose his smile for a minute.

"Babe, come with me." He said his voice hard. Damn I was in trouble. Ram smiled behind Carlos' back, he thought this was funny; I narrowed my eyes at him. This wasn't over. Just because I felt like I was being walked to the Principal's office I wasn't done with Ram. I would find a way to get even. I got up and followed Carlos but not before I shut the computer down.

"It will take more than shutting down the computer to keep them from tracking the websites you visited." Carlos said as we had rounded the cubicles. Damn I really needed to learn more about computers.

"I am sorry." I muttered behind him my embarrassment giving way to regret. I was so focused on finding the collar I wasn't thinking about how inappropriate it was for me to be looking at the websites while at work. Not to mention the fact that none of it was work related.

Carlos didn't reply he just kept walking, damn he was pissed. He steps through the door to his office and the second I cross the threshold I feel myself being lifted as the door slams behind me. My back hits the closed door. I hear the lock engage as his lips descend and attack mine; feral and full of desire and need.

Our tongues dual with each others as my hands lock around him fisting in his hair. My legs wrap around him, I vaguely note the pain in my leg from the position but right now I can't focus on that. His body is pressing against mine, pushing my back into the door, our centers touching and grinding together. I feel the muscles low in my body tighten with the excitement as I feel him hard against me. I heard a moan and I believe it came from me.

His mouth broke away from mine leaving us both gasping for much needed air. "God, Babe what you do to me." He said as he pushed his very hard member into my core letting me feel exactly what I did to him. I felt my eyes roll back as another moan escaped my lips.

His lips on my neck and his teeth grazing my skin had me on fire as I ground myself shameless against him desperate for a release.

There was a loud banging on the door that had my center vibrating against him as my back bounced off of the door had me moaning even more. It wasn't until I heard the angry voice on the other side of the door that had me crashing back to reality. The reality of where we were and what we were only matter of seconds maybe minutes from doing. Shit.

"Ranger so help me fuck, open the God damn door. I haven't released her for strenuous activity that includes sex." He yelled to the door. "Control your dick before you end up hurting her and setting her recovery back." He yelled and I felt myself go blood red. His voice was so loud I had no double every man in the building knew what was happening. I would never be able to show my face on the floor again. Shit. How had this day gotten so out of control? Oh yeah Ram. It's all his fault.

How was I going to look these men in the face again without dying from embarrassment after this? Damn, it's all Ram's fault. I detangle one hand from Carlos' hair and cover my face lowering it to Carlos's chest where I can feel his heart beating fast I grown. Which stops his attack on my neck and part of me wants to scream because I know the chance of me having that wonderful release wasn't going to happen now.

"Babe?" He questions me leaning back to look at me.

I motioned to the door. It was only seconds before Bobby yelled again. "Ranger, open the fucking door! I told you she isn't cleared for sex get it together soldier and control your dick." He yelled and I put my other hand over my face covering it entirely.

I was still in Carlos' arms my legs wrapped around him our centers pressed together his hands on my ass holding me. He sighed I heard the click of the door lock. I felt us moving and we had no more stepped away from the door the door opened crashing into the wall.

"Brown!" Carlos yelled. I knew it was to reprimand but I also knew that Carlos' wasn't reprimanding him from stopping us. He lowered himself into a chair moving my legs so they were both to one side.

"Ranger, she isn't cleared you could have hurt her. Stephanie do you have pain anywhere?" He asked me.

Oh I had a pain alright but it wasn't anything Bobby could do about it; killjoy. I shook my head no praying I had kept that thought to myself. I found it difficult to look at Bobby so I was focus on the wall to his right.

"Stephanie, look at me." He said and I shifted a little bringing my head closer to his direction but my eyes still diverted. My face still red and hot from embarrassment, he knew exactly what Carlos and I were only minutes from doing in his office.

"Stephanie, I mean look at me." Bobby said more forcefully causing my eyes to snap to his.

"Now I want you to tell me, are you hurting anywhere? Did you feel any pain anywhere that wasn't there prior to walking into this room?" He asked me.

"I am fine. I am not in pain. I briefly felt a pain in my leg at one point but it wasn't bad and it only lasted a second. It's been fine since." I said I saw his jaw tighten a little and I saw a look that flashed across Carlos' face. I wasn't quite sure what it was.

"Stephanie I want you to come with me to the gym. I want to see if you set back your recovery." Damn. Not only was I not going to get that much needed release now I had to exercise. Double damn.

I nodded standing up and followed Bobby out of the office.

I kept my eyes down trying to avoid eye contact with the guys as I walked with Bobby over the elevator. I knew it was too good when I felt an arm wrap around my shoulders just before the doors opened. "Beautiful I am surprised you are still walking." He said. I further blushed and had to smile when I heard the thump and him yelling "OW" as Bobby smacked the back of his head.

The doors on the elevator opened and we got on "It wasn't my fault." I said trying to make excuse. I saw the looks of disbelief on Lester's face.

"What wasn't your fault?" Bobby asked.

"The websites, It wasn't my fault. It was Ram's fault. All of it was Ram's fault." I said again.

"Websites?" Bobby asked. Shit he didn't know.

"Beautiful was looking at some BDSM websites." Lester said and I felt the embarrassment wash over me again as Bobby looked at me.

"It isn't like that." I tried to defend my actions. "I was looking for a collar for Ram." I stated it was only when the words came out of my mouth I realized how it could be taken. I shook my head in frustration as Lester started laughing.

"Beautiful I don't know why you want to buy a collar for Ram but if there is a line, please order me one as well. I will allow you to tie me down, chain me up and drag me anywhere you want to go." Lester said laughter in his voice that caused me to close my eyes and pray one more time for the earth to just hurry up and swallow me whole before I managed to dig the whole I was currently standing in deeper.

"Not like that. I mean it wasn't for that. He was irritating me and I told him I was going to get him a rhinestone collar, and start calling him Gucci. You know when you called him a Chinese Crested. Anyway I was trying to find him one of those collars and well when I put it in search different sites came up and well you know curiosity killed the cat. I didn't think anyone would spy over my shoulder." I said happy that I sounded a little irritated at their nosiness.

Lester just laughed shaking his head. "Beautiful you have an odd way about you, you know that?" I looked at Lester rolled my eyes thinking tell me something I didn't already know.

Something popped into my head. "Bobby if you didn't know about the website how did you know…you know?" I motioned with my hand not wanting to say the actual words for what Carlos and I were only seconds from doing.

"Beautiful I called him. I saw that look on my cousin's face, I knew he was going to be on you the second you cleared that door. I also knew you weren't cleared for physical activity yet and he would hate it if he hurt you because he was unable to control himself. So I called Bobby." He said. I narrowed my eyes at him. I had Lester to thank for my missed release, and my trip to the gym.

"Bobby, you didn't have to go screaming at the door." I told him my anger rising as I thought about what all the guys heard.

"Yeah Steph I am probably going to have to answer to Ranger in the morning for that but I tried knocking, and banging on the door I even tried to talk softly at first but neither of you responded." He said. I could hear a tinge of guilt or regret in his voice. "I just didn't want your recovery set back. You have come so far." He said. Hearing it put like that I was able to let go the anger for him interrupting my much needed release.

I nodded. "It's okay. I will tell Carlos to not go too hard on you tomorrow." I told Bobby and I saw him smile as we walked into the gym.

"I take it back." I huffed out my breathing labored as I gasp of air for the second time in one afternoon, only this time it was for a completely different reason.

"What do you take back?" Bobby asked me.

"I take back telling Carlos to go easy on you tomorrow." I said as I did one more lunge forward.

Lester started laughing. I narrowed my eyes at him just before he started lunging beside me. "You are doing good." Lester said as he lunged forward with me. I saw the ass kiss, to keep my anger directed at Bobby, but I ignored it.

I couldn't help but notice he was dry and sweat free while I was drenched in sweat, life was so not fair.

"See I told you no new pain." I told him as I fell back on the mat. My arms and legs out, I was done. Put a fork in me done; well done, over done in fact burnt. Lester crashed down beside me. This seemed to be a ritual after every physical therapy session we would lay on the mat flat on our backs.

He just laid there breathing normally, I on the other hand am usually gasping for air.

Once I had my breathing under better control I turned my head towards Lester. "Lester, I want to go out. I need some fresh air. You think I can drive with a cast on? I mean it isn't on my left hand and I drive with my right." I said and he turned looking at me.

"Beautiful I could drive, or any of the guys including Ranger would be willing to drive if you want to go out. You just say the word and someone will take you anywhere you want to go." He said I nodded feeling a little disappointed.

"Why the frown?" He asked me.

"Well I am sure none of you will want to go where I want to go." I said unable to keep the sound of disappointment out of my voice.

"Beautiful I am sure it isn't that bad, where do you want to go? The local sex shop?" He added as a joke his eyebrows jumping up and down, but I couldn't help but think it was going to take a long time before I lived today down. I shook my head no at his comment scrunching my face up at him. No way in the world would I admit stepping foot into the local Ultimate Bliss shop not after today and especially not to lover boy Lester, even if he was my best friend.

Where had that thought come from, my best friend? Mary Lou had always been my best friend there had been no other best friends. Well I guess until now. Lester did feel like a best friend. Almost like the brother I never had. I briefly wondered if between us who was the oldest. I secretly hoped it was him, I always wanted an older brother.

"The Mall." I said and I watched as his smilel faltered slightly before it was back.

"See I told you, you don't want to go." I said and he shook his head no.

"Nah Beautiful, I will go. Only under one condition though, we go in Victoria's Secret and you model one thing for me, of my choosing." He said. I wasn't certain my ears heard him right. I cut my eyes to him his eyes were dancing in laughter.

"I get full veto rights?" I asked him, figure if I get to veto things then I could keep from embarrassing myself too much.

"Only if the items I chose are sheer, or contain less fabric than a two piece bathing suit." He said.

"Well then if that is the case you have to model something I pick for you, the same rules apply only instead of trunks for a bathing suit its speedos." I said thinking two could play this game.

"Oh and no pictures or video are to be taken; period." I added filling the need to be specific or he would find a way around agreeing. I knew him well enough he would use whatever advantage he had.

"Beautiful you drive a hard bargain, but deal." He said, I couldn't help but smile. I had no money to buy anything at the mall but I liked going walking around and looking. It was something I had sort of gotten use to, walking around and looking, dreaming, and playing the 'what if I was rich and could afford it' game.

It's a game where you walk through the store and you pretend money wasn't an object what would you buy. I know sort of lame but hey sometimes it doesn't take much to entertain me and it's the best kind of entertainment, it is free.

"When were you thinking about going?" He asked me and I shrugged my shoulders.

"Maybe tomorrow, how does that work for you?" I asked him hoping he would say yes. I enjoyed being at Rangeman but I was feeling the need for a change of scenery at least for a few hours.

"Works for me, are you going to tell Carlos?" He asked me his eyes once again dancing with laughter as he said the name Carlos mimicking me. I knew the guys didn't call him that but well I had started and I really didn't want to start calling him Ranger. Carlos didn't seem to mind so until I heard differently he was going to be Carlos at least to me.

"Yeah I am going to tell him, I am even going to tell him about your little indecent proposition." I told him holding back my laughter as I watched him swallow and turn a little green around the edges.

I wasn't worried I knew I had full veto regardless of what Lester said and I also knew that he wasn't taking this any further than this; friends, best friends. He knew where my heart belonged and that was with Carlos. But I was going to make note of what Lester liked in hopes that his cousin would like the same things.

Bobby had to come and ruin our good time. "Come on Steph lets go up to the infirmary." He said and I huffed I was starting to hate that as much as I hated hospitals every time he asked me to go he would make me step on the scales and I was about done with stepping on scales.

Lester hopped up and then they reached down pulling me up it sort of become the game see how high you can pull Stephanie into the air, oh what strong men. I indulge them by not complaining and letting them have their fun with their he-man power. Truth be told it was sort of fun so it was win-win.

**RPOV**

Fuck I had lost control. I had lost focus and not only had I been aggressive with Stephanie I had caused her pain. When she said that her leg pained her even though she said it wasn't still hurting I felt like shit. I knew she wasn't cleared for sex but when I saw the websites she was looking at, it stirred something within me that I couldn't control.

I didn't want to control it. I just wanted to bury my dick so far in her that I would become lost and stay there forever. It was all I could do to not grab her at the desk and take her right there. I wanted her so bad.

I wasn't sure exactly why she was on those sites and why it was Ram's fault but I was pretty sure it was going to be an interesting story behind it.

Brown had taken her to the gym; looking at the feed it looked like he was putting her through some test. I finally looked and saw her lying on her back with Lester lying beside her. I was finding that I was becoming more comfortable seeing her and Lester together. They had a fast friendship. They seemed to just click sort of like her and I only in the friends category and if he made her more comfortable in a building full of men then so be it. I was all for my men making her feel as though she fit in and belonged. What I wouldn't tolerate is anyone disrespecting her.

I picked up the phone "Ram my office, now." I said with force. I wasn't really pissed at him but pulling his chain was a little fun. A knock, came only matter of seconds later. "Enter".

Ram walked through the door and I indicated for him to shut the door and take the seat in front of me. I was staring at him, my blank face firmly in place. I watched him swallow as he took the seat in front of me. I tilted my head to the side accessing him, wondering if I could make him sweat. He was a damn fine soldier and one of the best snipers in the world. So it was a challenge to see if I could crack him, to his credit he just sat there looking at me. I could see a little worry in his eyes but he wasn't letting the rest of his body show it.

I only hired the best and while he didn't sweat, it made me proud that he was on my team. It just further proved the good decision to have him join Rangeman. "Care to explain why Stephanie felt like it was your fault for her looking at bondage websites?" I asked him, I saw him swallow and what I felt like a moment of panic flash across his eyes. He was trying to figure out what to tell me. I would suggest the truth unless he wanted to disappoint me.

"Sir, I am not sure. Not really. She threatened to call me Gucci and buy me a rhinestone collar if I bugged her anymore. I assume that is what she was trying to do when she wondered on to the website but I have no idea beyond that." He said and I thought I detected a little bead of sweat, but I let it slide.

"What were you doing to bug her?" I asked him. He pierced his lips together before sighed and then he started to explain himself. "I was just having a little fun with her. She startles easily, I was trying to help her overcome it." He explained. Somehow I felt like while that was true there was more that he was leaving out so I raised my eyebrow letting him know I needed more. I wanted more.

"You know I was waiting until she was focused on something else then I would startle her by throwing something at her like a balled up piece of paper, a paper clip, etc." He said. I shook my head. He had annoyed her until she threatened him and then she tried to follow through on the threat. It was almost comical because it had backfired and she had been the one embarrassed. I had lost control and almost attacked her to the point that Brown had to beat on my door and scream at me, to stop my lust induced assault of her body.

Damn I got hard just thinking about having her legs wrapped around me her hands knotted in my hair pulling me to her, her hot center grinding against me. Fuck I needed to change my thoughts, take a cold shower or perhaps both. I focused my thoughts back on Ram in front of me.

"Ram, mats zero five hundred tomorrow." I told him and he nodded. He needed to understand that while I wasn't mad about what happened he doesn't annoy my Babe and get away with it. It sounded like he went beyond playing to being a pain in her ass causing her to take action. He would think twice before doing that again.

He nodded his understanding. I nodded; he got up exiting my office. I couldn't help the smile at the thought of her getting him a rhinestone collar and calling him Gucci. Maybe I would suggest to her to order a new nameplate for him, for his cubicle.

I shook my head before Stephanie, this wouldn't have happened. I wouldn't be wasting my time on this frivolous bull shit but since she came into my life. I was learning that life wasn't all about working, and making money. It wasn't all about sitting in this office day in day out. I was able to relax in our bed at night, I was able to hold her and feel comforted, I was able to smile and even laugh because she was here. Because she was with me, I was able to remember what it was I wanted to fight for so many years ago when I joined the army.

Ram playing with her, even if he was being in a pain in the ass, wouldn't have happened. It wasn't something my men ever did, before her. It was because of her he relaxed enough to play have a little fun. I decided then to take it easy on him on the mats and let him know I am cool with him having a little fun with her just to understand there is a limit when it is no longer fun and crosses the line to being a pain in her ass.

Lester lying on his back on the mats wouldn't have happened. He worked out with the best of us and out of all the men he had been the most playful but that had ended several years ago. I was once again seeing the fun Lester, the seemingly carefree playful Lester from years ago.

Cal could intimidate even the toughest man yet he was nothing but putty in her hands. He was defenseless when it came to her even his tattoo seemed to have a softer side when she was around.

The most surprising was Hector. He had called to notify me of the sites she was visiting. Not that I gave a shit but he wanted me to know because of the other guys on the floor. He didn't want to have to slit their throats when they said something inappropriate to her. Or so he told me.

So to keep Rangeman from becoming a bloody mess I thought I needed to go intervene. I just had no idea how it would have affected me. Porn didn't do it for me, and the websites she was on wasn't porn sites but thinking about her looking at the websites, her being excited by them had my body reacting in ways that I was unable to control.

Maybe I wouldn't go so easy on Ram on the mats tomorrow after all I had him to thank for all of this. I stood up making my way to the bathroom I needed to take care of something before my Babe came back into my office.

God I hoped Bobby releases her soon.

**Tell me what you think…..leave a review!**


	36. Chapter 35: Spidey Sense

**Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! For those that have Private messages turned off that left Reviews thank you for the reviews! I love reading every one of them so keep them coming.**

**I want to Thank Margaret Fowler for encouraging this story out of me. When I mentioned it to you 6 – 7 months ago you didn't let it die in my head. You kept pressing for it so here it is finally being written! I hope it is everything you thought it would be.**

**Standard Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine. They belong to JE I just take them out of the box and play with them a little. I have begged to keep Ranger and Lester for myself but I have yet to get a response… **

**Chapter 35: Spidey Sense**

**SPOV**

Lester pulled into the parking spot at the mall. He managed to get the closest spot to the door without it being handicapped. I was never that lucky. I always use to have to park at the end of the lot. I took that as a good sign that today was going to be a fun day spent at the mall with my best friend.

I smiled at him. "You know I am never lucky enough to get this close of a spot." I said and he just smiled and cut the car off.

"Come on Beautiful, let's have some fun." It was just him and I and while I was sorry Carlos didn't join us when I told him where we going I could see the uneasiness in his eyes so I let him off the hook and told him that Lester was going with me.

I laughed yeah we were going to have about as much fun as we could have with no money to spend. But it was change of scenery, and it would feel like I was starting to take back my life and not just live it within Rangeman.

I was getting stronger and with the walking boot on, I no longer needed crutches. My arm was still in a cast for at least another week possibly two but things were progressing. Bobby seemed happy with my progress, which meant I was happy about it too.

We made our way across the parking lot and into the Macy's; my favorite.

"Lester when I come to the mall with no money to spend I play a game. It's the 'what if I was rich game and could buy anything I wanted, what would I buy' game." I told him, he looked at me like I expected, as though I was lame.

I shrugged. "Well it's kind of fun. Want to play with me?" I asked him, he once again looked at me raising his eyebrow.

"Lester, haven't you ever just walked in a store and thought if money wasn't an issue what would I buy? What would I want if I could buy anything here?" I asked him. I mean everyone has done that at one point in their life right? If I win the lottery I would buy…. People make those statements all the time. It's sort of the same thing only on a smaller scale.

He just shook his head. "Beautiful I don't shop in these stores much, but I understand the concept. How about this, I will play along but I will pick out things I would buy you if money wasn't an object, since I really don't see anything in here that would do my body justice." He said laughing holding his arms out from his body. Of course we were in the women's only Macy's store so maybe he had a point.

I smiled, relenting; after all, I was hoping to maybe get an insight into what Carlos may like. Once I was able to get a job and make some money, I could come back and get some of the items.

"Okay let's go see what damage we can do." I told him smiling as we made our way over to the clothing.

"Remember our deal." Lester said and I paused looking at him.

"You said when we get to Victoria's Secret." I told him not sure if that was a good thing to remind him of but knowing him he would have me trying on a bunch of stuff here and then he would still make me hold up our deal in Victoria's Secret.

"Well how are you going to know if you would buy it, if you don't try it on?" He argued. I could his point on one hand but on the other I never tried on anything unless I had the money to buy it.

"I don't try the items on, not unless I have the money to buy them. I might like them too much if I try them on. For the game, it is safer if I just pick them on the rack and then leave them there." I told him.

He shook his head "well you asked me to play and I have no idea if I would buy them unless I see them on you. So if you want me to play along with your game, you are going to have to try on the items." He said and I closed my eyes. Damn, he was going to suck all of the fun out of my free entertaining trip to the mall. Did men have to be such killjoys?

Finally I decided I was strong enough to try them on, model them for him, and then put them back; at least I better be. Hopefully I could find something wrong with them that would make me want to put what he selected back on the rack.

I walk up to a clearance rack.

"What you doing Beautiful?" He asked me. I look at him thinking it is pretty obvious. I am looking

"I am looking for what I may want to buy." I told him and he shook his head.

"You are looking at a clearance rack which means they are the clothing left behind after everyone has done the picking, out of season, or last year's designs they kept to sell this year that haven't sold yet. This game of yours, you shouldn't be allowed to look on the clearance rack." He stated. I saw the logic but I always looked at the clearance rack. Hell it was the only way I could afford anything even when I did have money to spend. Besides it was always the best deal.

"Beautiful you are spending pretend money, why are you going to waste it on clearance rack items?" He questioned and he had a point so I nodded and moved away from the clearance rack to the other racks within the store. It wasn't like I had any money to spend so I wasn't missing out any great deal.

I did wonder for someone who didn't know how to shop he seemed to know a lot about how stores worked, at least how they handled their clearance racks. That gave me something to ponder.

I looked at him from the corner of my eye accessing him as he was flipping through the racks he was moving sort of fast clearing one rack after other barely touching anything.

I found a dress that I thought was cute holding it up to me I turned towards Lester, "Lester what do you think?" I called over to him he looked up from the rack made a face and shook his head no. Huh guess not. I shrugged and hung the dress back on the rack. I thought it was cute.

The dress had a high neckline but was sleeveless; it was sheath dress with a small belt around the waist and would stop just above my knees. Maybe it was the color he didn't like it was a pale yellow. Oh well I continued to look.

Loosing myself in one rack after the other not really seeing anything that just jumped out and grabbed me, I was silently glad I couldn't afford to buy anything or I would be rather disappointed in the selection.

I had found a couple of other things but I hadn't asked Lester his opinion I didn't need him interrupting my fun besides this was the 'if I had the money what would I buy' game, not what would Lester buy game.

"Beautiful you found anything else?" He asked me breaking my concentration from the clothing racks.

"Yeah a couple of things, why?" I asked him.

"Can you stop for a minute to try on a few things?" He asked me. I shrugged might as well haven't really found anything that great anyway so I nodded and started following him. When I realized he was walking towards the dressing room. I felt uncertain about this whole idea. Now I was going to have to try on the items he selected.

Remembering I had full veto power I relented thinking the worst thing that could happen would be that I actually really like something and end up having to put it back. It wasn't something that I hadn't done before. I didn't like it, but I could do it and it wouldn't be the end of the world.

He motioned to the largest dressing room, when I walked in he had the items sorted. I couldn't believe the items he had found. "Lester you found all of these items? Or were some of these left in the dressing room?" I asked him.

"They are all ones I picked just try them on. I grouped them for you." He said. He had placed the dresses on one bar, shorts and tops on another bar. I shrugged making sure the dressing room door was locked I began to undress to try on the items he had selected.

The first dress was a dress that had a deep v-neck with little cap sleeves the design was coral, brown, and white. The skirt flared a little bit and stopped about three inches before my knee. It was cute and it was something that I would have picked. I quickly put it on, it looked good. I opened the door Lester was sitting in the chair just inside the dressing room, out of the way of the individual rooms but in front of the three panel mirror. I stepped up in between him and the mirror. He motioned for me to turn around, turning around he started shaking his head no. I couldn't help but feeling slightly disappointed.

"Beautiful, the dress doesn't do you justice. It's a nice dress but it doesn't accent anything you have. Try the other ones." He said. I nodded. It was just pretend anyway it wasn't like I was actually going to purchase these dresses so it was a good thing that it didn't do me justice, right?

I made my way to the dressing room. The next dress was blue it was sleeveless with spaghetti straps it had a scooped neckline and a keyhole opening at the center neckline the fabric was very light and I could see this as being the perfect dancing dress as it fell a few inches above my knees.

I stepped out and I heard Lester whistle as I turned in front of him. I had to admit this was a hot looking dress even with my casts. I needed to go back and change but I wanted to stand there and continue to look in the mirror, I loved this dress. I finally turned back to the dressing room to try on the others.

I had been in the dressing room for what felt like hours trying on things Lester had picked for me. I had continued to move the shorts to the back of the pile but now that I was done with the pile it was time to try on the shorts. I am not even sure if these could be called shorts. They were shorts in that they had two holes for your legs but the fabric between both sides was practically non existence. I was glad that they appeared to go down in the back or my ass would be completely hanging out of them.

I pulled on the first pair they were denim and what little fabric they had, it was holey with brown fabric beneath the holes. Some stitching was closing a few of the holes. I had to admit they were cool but they were definitely short.

I pulled them up and hooked them. I pulled the shirt he had picked for me to try with them on I had to admit I looked hot. All I needed was cowboy boots and a hat and I would be sizzling. I stepped out of the dressing room. Once again to Lester whistling and panting like a winded puppy dog. His hand splayed over his heart to further dramatize his reaction and I couldn't help but laugh. One thing about today I may not be able to buy these clothes but he was definitely doing good thing for my ego.

He had me feeling ten feet tall standing in that dressing room. I would imagine Miss America would have felt about the same feeling when she won the crown.

I wiggled my hips at him "Beautiful, you trying to kill me?" He said and I couldn't help but busting out laughing.

I walked back into the dressing room and tired on the final pair another pair of cut off short only white this time. I pulled on the tank top and walked out it was pretty much to a repeat performance from him and I rolled my eyes at him. Inside smiling like a fool and waving my hand as though I was twisting in a light bulb at the crowd as I took my crown as the hottest, sexiest bitch on the planet; I made it back to the dressing room.

I was sort of sad the show was over but I sort of picked a bunch of items I would buy if I had the money and well it was time to move on.

I got dressed then started gathering up the racks with all the clothing. I was sad that everything was going to have to back on the rack but that was the nature of the game. After all if I could afford everything I wouldn't be playing a stupid game.

Lester spoke up "Leave them Beautiful I will get them." He said. I didn't want to leave him with all the work so I opened the door and handed him out a few as I gathered the rest of them. We walked over the rack and hung them up on the rack as I went back to gather more. Walking out Lester took them from me placing them on the rack as we made our way out of the room. It was time to change departments. Next stop Shoes.

We rounded the corner and I came to an abrupt halt causing Lester to crash into the back of me sending me flying forward. Thankfully he caught his footing fast enough to help me catch mine before I hit the ground.

"Beautiful, are you okay? Did I hurt you?" He said and I heard the concern in his voice. I shook my head no. My eyes locked on the reason I had halted. Unfortunately with all the commotion of Lester crashing into the back of me I had been spotted so turning around wasn't going to be an option as I saw her eyes lock on mine and the determination set in her face along with a fake smile that I just wanted to wipe off.

"I am fine." I told him my voice sounding more clipped towards him than I would have liked but the hatred that was rolling through me for the woman who was making her way toward me had invaded my body and voice.

"Beautiful?" Lester questioned me. I am sure he was questioning what I was doing but I didn't have time to explain I needed to prepare for the battle that was going to pursue. The voice reached me faster than the red headed bitch's feet were able to carry her.

"So if it isn't Stephanie Plum in the flesh. Everyone just assumed you disappeared." She said as if she didn't give a damn if I disappeared; not that I cared.

"I didn't go anywhere I still live in the same place." I defended thinking I had gone somewhere I had moved into Rangeman with Carlos, but I wasn't telling her about him. Just to see her take him away from me.

"Lying bitch, you have been the talk all over town. How you had an accident and were being guarded at the hospital by men in black and how they took you somewhere from the hospital but no one knew where. Joe and your mother believe you were taken to a building on Haywood full of men." I heard the innuendo in her voice.

"It takes a bitch to know a bitch, where I am and what I am doing is none of your business." I screamed at her drawing attention from the sales people as well as those shopping. Lester placed his hand on my shoulder. I looked back at him.

"I got this." I told him. I could see the look in his eyes, it was clear he would handle this situation for me but I didn't want her touching him. She didn't know who I was with and I knew him well enough to believe he would possibly enjoy her looks. Her big boobs and fat ass while disgusting to me seemed to draw the men to her; right past me. I didn't want her thinking she had stolen another man from me.

"I knew you were whore, you are probably servicing all of them? Is this one of the men? If so, there is no way you are keeping him let alone them happy. Just look at you there isn't anything to you; not to mention you're all broken." She said sneering at me with a smirk on her face that I just wanted to knock off.

"That is none of your business. I am not like you; I don't open my legs for any and everyone." I yelled at her. She smiled.

"No you don't. In fact that's how I took all of them away from you. You suck in bed. If you had been fucking them they would have kicked you out by now. They may be hoping but I should do them all a favor and tell them how your past men have all come to me telling me how you suck. Oh wait you don't suck. That is something else you don't do." She said smiling at me as if she had won. Bitch.

I wouldn't let her know but her comments had cut me like a knife. Had her words had been a knife I wouldn't have been bleeding anymore than I was right now.

"Don't let her to get you." I heard whispered in my ear as Lester stepped up behind me placing his arms around me pulling me back against his chest. I felt his lips brush my neck and I wasn't sure what he was doing until he addressed her.

"Lady, I don't know who these other men were but I can tell you one thing, they aren't men. If they left Beautiful here for you then I would say she was picking guys who were below her and well they couldn't perform to her standards. I can assure you it wasn't her performance that was lacking. One look at you and I am quite sure you would fall severely short." He said and I couldn't help but smile from the feeling his words caused.

I heard a whispered "forgive me for this" just before he spun me around in his arms and laid a burning kiss on my lips dipping me to the point I felt the need to hold on to him even though I knew he would never drop me, his mouth moving against mine.

I heard the gasp and then her heels clicking as she rushed away from us. Once the clicking was out of the range of hearing, Lester righted me. His lips had been on mine but he kept his tongue in his mouth only making it look as though he was kissing me deeply. I was grateful for that because it sort of felt like I was kissing my brother, but I was grateful for him for sending her away.

He smiled at me "You are going to have to tell me about that one." He said and I huffed. I guess after coming to my rescue physically, emotionally, and saving my self-worth all at the same time he deserved something.

"That was Joyce. The town whore. She has managed to steal every boyfriend I ever have. Did you know I was engaged?" I asked him and he shook his head no. "I was for about ten minutes when I found him with her on his dining room table?" I told him.

"Ten minutes?" He asked me, I smiled at him taking that statement so literally; sometimes men.

"Well maybe a little longer but not long enough to decide if I wanted butter cream or bakery icing on our wedding cake." I said.

Lester shook his head in disbelief. "They left you, for that?" He questioned and I nodded thinking you heard her I sucked in bed, well actually I don't, maybe that was the issue.

"Beautiful, let me tell you if a woman is bad in bed, it's because of the man they are with. It usually isn't the woman, not if the man cares for her the way they should. If her body is touched and cared for the way it should be, then there isn't a problem with the woman's performance, her body will perform like a well tuned instrument. You just made a bad decision in men you allowed in your bed." He said and I looked at him. Was he for real?

"Trust me." He said and I nodded wanting desperately bad to believe him but also being extremely skeptical that he really knew what he was talking about. I didn't want to suck in bed for Carlos. What if I sucked and he wanted nothing more to do with me? He put his arm around my shoulder.

"You need to trust me Beautiful. Whenever you are released for physical activity you will be exactly what Carlos needs." He said with such confidence that I wondered how the hell could be so sure. He had never been with me to know. But his voice sounded confident in his statement so I decided to drop it and do what he said trust him after all it wasn't like I could really do anything about it anyway. Either I would be what he needed or I wouldn't and it would suck.

"Beautiful, don't take this wrong way but let's go get something to drink. I just feel like I kissed my sister and I need something to drink." He said shivering. I laughed at his comment because I had just felt what that would felt like and I could use a drink myself. Just like that everything between was back to normal. No awkwardness or weirdness between us.

"Okay but we have to come back and look at the shoes." I said getting distracted by the shoes on the tables before me as we walked past them heading for the food court.

"Deal." He said as we made our way out of the store.

**LPOV**

Fuck, damn I had kissed her. Ranger is going to fucking kill me. I am going to be fucking dead as soon as I step foot back into Rangeman. It would be nice to think that he wouldn't find out but I knew he would find out. Fuck he probably already knew it.

We make our way to the food court. I found a table and got her settled taking the opportunity to elevate her leg in the chair. "Beautiful are you hungry?" I asked her already knowing the answer, she nodded and I smiled.

"What would you like? I looked around the food court to see the options."

"Anything is good. Actually, make it fattening and greasy." She said. I shook my head remembering the first time she gave me her food order.

I made my way to the counter to keep myself busy in order to forget about that kiss. I know I had told her that it felt like I had kissed my sister. That wasn't exactly the truth but it needed to be the truth, so I might as well start convincing myself, that it was the truth.

I turned to keep an eye on Beautiful and she was sitting there with her head resting back on the chair her leg stretched out. I think her eyes were even closed. I shook my head and scanned the food court looking for any possible threats before I stepped up closer in the line. I had picked Chick-fil-a, I knew she loved their lemonade and well for some reason I think they are slightly better when it comes to fast food than some of the other chains. Not that I have any significant proof of that.

I get up to the counter order the food. I step aside waiting for the food glancing once again toward Stephanie and I see she has setup in her chair and is scanning the food court. She was scanning the area and her heightened presence had me on alert status. I quickly scanned the room and saw nothing that was a threat to her.

I quickly picked up the food and made my way towards her scanning the area.

"Beautiful?" I questioned her as I sat the food down on the table. She looked at me and I could see worry around her eyes. I scanned the room again seeing if it I had missed anything but nothing stood out.

"Lester, someone is watching me. I feel it. I feel eyes on me." She said and I smiled.

"Beautiful, have you looked in the mirror lately? Of course someone is looking at you." I told her. She shook her head no.

"Lester, I am telling you someone is watching me not just looking at me. It's more than that. I can feel their eyes." She said and I saw the panic rising in her.

"Beautiful it's okay. You are safe. I promise you are safe." I told her trying to get her to calm down a little bit.

She looked at me like she wasn't sure but she nodded her head trusting me but she kept looking around. I finally decided fuck it and I lifted my hand motioning for him to come out.

Cal walked out of his hiding spots and walked up to the table. Her mouth dropping open asthe pulled out the chair joining us.

"Were you with us the whole time?" She asked him and his eyes met mine. I knew what he was telling me and I grimaced at the thought. I knew he was there he had seen it all but I was hoping he wouldn't tell her that.

"I just got here and thought I would join you." Cal said looking at me and I raised my head at his comment, thankful.

"Beautiful, how did you know he was watching you?" I asked her. I was wondering if he had broken cover. She shrugged.

"I don't know." She said.

"Did you see him?" I asked her and she shook her head no.

"I don't know how to explain it but it just a feeling a get. It's an uneasy feeling I get in my belly and I know someone is watching me or something bad is about to happen." She said.

"Sort of like a sixth sense?" Cal asked her and she sort of shrugged and nodded as she took a bite out of her sandwich.

"Yeah I guess. Something like that" She said once she had swallowed her food.

"I call it my spidey sense." She said after a minute. Looking around the table Cal had a smile on his face that I am quite certain was a reflection of my own.

"Spidey sense, huh?" I asked and she nodded turning slightly red.

"I like it, it fits you." I told her smiling.

"Lester?" She said and I looked at her, her face alarmed.

"My spidey senses are going off again." She said. Fuck this wasn't good. If her senses could pick up Cal watching her I couldn't imagine what the hell they were picking up now. I knew whatever it was we needed to be ready. I looked at Cal he nodded and got up walked away from the table, fading back into the background from where he had earlier appeared.

**Tell me what you think….Leave a Review!**


	37. Chapter 36: Confrontations

**Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! For those that have Private messages turned off that left Reviews thank you for the reviews! I love reading every one of them so keep them coming.**

**I want to Thank Margaret Fowler for encouraging this story out of me. When I mentioned it to you 6 – 7 months ago you didn't let it die in my head. You kept pressing for it so here it is finally being written! I hope it is everything you thought it would be.**

**Standard Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine. They belong to JE I just take them out of the box and play with them a little. I have begged to keep Ranger and Lester for myself but I have yet to get a response… **

**Chapter 36: Confrontation**

**SPOV**

"Lester, where is Cal going?" I asked him.

"He can protect you better from there. He can see threats coming toward us and he can react from there probably before they get to you." He said. I nodded. It sort of made sense.

"Don't worry, Beautiful, nothing is going to happen to you." Lester said and I couldn't help but believe him with the confidence in his voice.

I knew the threats against me, Carlos had told me. When I told him I wanted to come to the mall he told me about the threat and possible danger. He said Lester could protect me but he also wanted me to be informed so I could make the decision. He didn't tell me all about who was behind the threat as it was confidential but he said I had a right to know that my life had been threatened and that it had been threatened because of him.

He had wanted to pull away from me, I had felt it. But, I told him that if it was a life of safety without him or a life of danger with him, I would pick the danger every second of every day. I would live with the danger to share my life with him. The time we had known each other was short, but the way I was drawn to him I couldn't give him up. I couldn't let him go. It would be like parting ways with my very soul, my very essence; impossible.

Lester and I finished our lunch with me lost in my thoughts of Carlos and our life together.

"Beautiful you ready to have some more fun?" Lester asked me and I nodded smiling at him, his words pulling me from my thoughts. We had some more pretend shopping to do. Walking over to the trash to throw our wrappers away, the food already inhaled. It was pretty clear that neither of us believed in leaving food on our plates.

It was one thing fun about Lester, he ate big and he didn't seem to care that I too ate big. He didn't look at me like I was pig for eating what I did. He just acted as though it was completely normal. I had been out with enough guys, in the past, to know that most of the time they analyze how much you are eating or so it felt like it to me.

I had even had boyfriends ask me if I really wanted to eat that much. Lester though, he turns his fries around and shares them with me when I finish mine first. I mean he wasn't even my boyfriend and he got it.

Maybe Lester was right; maybe I had always selected bottom feeders when I should have been looking higher up in the ocean of possibilities all along. Carlos was definitely no bottom feeder, if anything he was a shark. I wasn't sure if that was a good thing on one hand but it certainly was better in other ways. He certainly made my body respond in a way no other man had ever been capable. He certainly had accepted me like no man had ever.

"Where to now?" I asked him and he smiled at me wagging his eyebrows up and down. Just that one hint and I knew where we were heading Victoria's Secret. I briefly wondered if he would actually walk in with me but one look at the expression on his face told me exactly what I wanted to know. That would be a yes, a hell yes to be exact.

In fact I don't think an army would keep him from coming. "So you actually are going to come in Victoria's Secret with me?" I asked him and he smirked nodding his head up and down. "Most men wouldn't think of stepping into the store." I told him playing with him.

"Beautiful, I am not most men." He said, point taken.

"Well most men feel awkward like they are being dirty old men when they walk in. You know the whole forbidden thing." I told him smiling on the inside.

"Beautiful, look at me I am the tree that the forbidden fruit fell from." He said and I couldn't help but laugh out loud drawing the attention of mall shoppers. I shook my head laughing but the whole time I couldn't help but sort of agree. I mean if it wasn't for my love for and devotion to Carlos I could definitely see myself taking a bite of the forbidden fruit.

All I have to say is that I no longer blamed Eve for me having a period after all if Adams was anything like Lester in front of me, or God forbid Carlos, and then have us being the only two people on the planet I would have definitely taken a bite; a big one.

I shook my head to clear my head as Lester pulled me closer to him with his arm around my neck as we made our way into the store.

"You remember the deal right. I get full veto." I told him reminding him of our deal. He nodded.

"Yeah but I also seem to remember only on items that were smaller than a bathing suit or see thru." He said, damn; I was hoping he was going to forget that part.

I countered back "one item." He sneered at me.

"Well then I will just have to make the one item really, really good." He said rubbing his hands together as if he was going to conspire to do something terrible to me. I smiled knowing he was all play. I shook my head and started perusing the racks seeing what it was I would buy if money was no object.

I loved their bras and thongs and it appeared as though they had come out with some new designs since the last time I had shopped in the store. They had some really cute nightgowns and corsets. All items I would pick out if I had the money.

I held up a t-shirt nightgown it was about the most skin covering item I could find. "Lester, how about I try this on for you?" I held it out for him to see. It was cotton night gown in their signature pink color with black writing that says 'Got Secrets?' on the chest.

He smiled "Beautiful, you don't have any secrets." He said dismissing the item. I did too have secrets.

"Hey I do too have secrets. You didn't know I was engaged." I countered. He looked at me knitting his eyes together and pursing his lips titling his head to the side.

"Yeah but you told me, so it's no longer a secret." He said. Damn, guess he had a point. I had to have some other secrets that he didn't know.

"Well maybe it isn't so much about you getting secrets from me; maybe it is me getting secrets from you." I countered thinking that was a pretty good counter. He just shook his head smiling.

"Beautiful, I have all kind of secrets but the only way you would get me to tell you them is if the nightgown was on the floor." I blushed, bright red, my face heating up. Somewhere in the back of my mind I was hearing the old saying about not playing with fire or maybe it was if the one about a hot kitchen. I needed to learn there was no winning with Lester, so don't try.

I shook my head and stepped away to clear my mind and allow my face to come back to a more even skin tone. It was only once the embarrassment had worn off a little that I thought of the perfect comeback. Damn. Why was it that always happened? After the fact the perfect comeback pops in your head but when it could have been used, it was no where around? It was so not fair.

"Beautiful you ready?" He said. I nodded my head why not get it over with. We made our way back to the dressing rooms. I stepped into the dressing room and my mouth fell open. Oh hell no. This was not happening.

I picked the item up off of the rack, and Stepped back out of the door. "I am calling a veto." I said and he shook his head no, smiling.

"No way, Beautiful, it falls within our rule guideline, it can't be vetoed." He said smiling. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"What do you mean? It is sheer, and it is a thong." I said my voice rising with panic. He shook his head.

"It doesn't matter. It still fits within the rules." He holds his finger up. "It has more fabric than a bikini" he flips up a second finger. "The sheer part isn't over any of the private areas they are covered with fabric. So there is no part of your body that would be seen that a bathing suit wouldn't show." He said.

I shook my head. "It's a thong. I don't wear thong bathing suits." I argued.

"I didn't say if you would wear the bathing suit I said if the fabric was less than a bathing suit." He said; damn. I would learn that I needed to be very specific when I make future deals. Lester apparently is a sneaky bastard.

"Trust me Beautiful try it on." He said and I nodded.

"Fine." I said stomping back into the dressing room. I left my underwear on but of course I was wearing a thong. The string on the ones I was wearing was slightly wider than the one I was trying on. I had to admit when I looked at myself in the mirror I was floored. I looked hot. Man I wanted to buy this for Carlos. Well here goes nothing I thought. I closed my eyes as I opened the door and stepped across the threshold of the door.

I kept my eyes closed, but when I heard nothing I started getting a little worried. "Lester?" I said you could hear the question in my voice. Had he just left me? Had he walked out and left me in the dressing room? He wouldn't leave me right?

"Lester, are you there?" I said, you could hear the panic rising in my voice. I finally opened my eyes peeking out until I saw the man standing in front of me. My eyes popped open. I was frozen caught in his gaze, black orbs dilated with desire and arousal. I felt my body responding my nipples hardening, my body heating up as the air around us charged; electrified.

My mouth opened but nothing came out.

"Babe" he said his voice heavy with lust. In two steps he had me in his arms moving me back into the dressing room. My legs wrapping around him my hands once again fisting in his hair as our lips met. God, how much I wanted this man. I heard the door shut and the lock engage and that was the last thing to register in my brain, outside of the man in my arms.

He pulled away "Babe, are you okay?" He asked and I jerked him toward me. I was more than okay I needed his lips on me. I needed his hands holding me; I needed to feel his hardened dick pressing into my core.

His hands on my bare ass holding me to him, pressing my center into him as his lips attack mine, my neck, my shoulder only for his tongue to blaze a trail back across my shoulder, up my neck as his teeth lightly clamped down on my ear as his lips close around my lobe. I know my eyes rolled back in my head as my head fell back against the wall. Oh my God. The things this man could do to me with just a kiss.

His lips fell to my chest kissing across down and up my cleavage my nipples so hard practically demanding his attention but he ignored them as his lips started moving back up to attack my mouth our tongues battling out the disappointment from my nipples. In all too soon he was pulling away letting my legs fall down gently setting me down on my feet. He held me to ensure I had my footing before stepping further back.

"Babe, Bobby is going to kill me. This is the second time in two days we have found ourselves in this position and you haven't been cleared by him." He said. I nodded. Knowing he was telling me the truth but my body was screaming, pleading, begging, freaking crying out of frustration for not getting my much needed release.

"Trust me Babe when you are cleared I am taking a day off and I am going to devote the day to giving you as many releases as your heart desires." He said his voice heavy with need. I really liked his plan, just hearing how affected his voice was and the words he was using had me moaning with anticipation and excitement. That day wouldn't get here fast enough.

I nodded my head in understanding because I was too affected by his actions and words to speak at the moment. I was trying to get control of my breathing and my body.

Finally back in control realization of where we were and what we were about to do hit me and my face flamed red. I really hoped Lester, speaking of which I had no idea where he was, or the sales people hadn't heard us in here they would have never believe we had stopped before anything happened.

I put my hands over my face. "Hey Babe, its okay." He said pulling my hands from my face. I shook my head.

"Carlos, not really. It only takes one person from the burg to hear about this or witness this and it will be all over town how Stephanie Plum is a disgrace to the burg because she is a slut who can't control herself in public." I confessed to him.

"They will call my mother and then I will have to hear how everyone else's' daughter doesn't do things like this. How everyone else's' daughter doesn't embarrass and disappoint their family by having sex in the dressing room of Victoria's Secret." I said, he just smiled at me.

"Babe, we didn't have sex." He said and I looked at him.

"Like I don't know that, but they don't know that." I said motioning to the door as if the whole burg was standing just beyond the door.

"Relax Babe. No one is back here. Lester is keeping them away." He said.

"Babe, did I tell you, you look completely amazing in that?" He asked me and I couldn't help the smile that broke out across my face.

"No, you didn't say it, but I think your actions told me exactly how much you liked it. When did you get here anyway?" I asked him and he smiled.

"Just a few minutes ago, I can't stay, I have a couple of meetings to go to but I wouldn't have missed this for anything in the world." He said pulling me to him his hands on my hips, his fingers wrapping around splayed across my bare ass cheeks. His lips closed in on mine his tongue begging for entrance. Wow what this man could do to me.

"Babe the feeling is mutual." He whispered against my lips, his lips moving against mine with every word spoken had me ready to forget all about Bobby, the semi-private dressing room, and us being in Victoria's Secret. I was pretty sure we weren't the only customers who got a little freaky in the dressing room. Maybe that was part of the secret? I shook that thought away as soon as it popped in my head.

"Babe I would love to stay until you are dressed but if you take that off, I will no longer be in control and I can't promise that I won't take you right here, right now." He said and I know I moaned at the thought. "Babe you are playing with fire." He said as he ran his finger down my face across my chin and ghosted them over my lips. My knees felt weak as his finger glided down my neck across my shoulder then back across my chest dipping low and rising with my cleavage as he made his way across to my left shoulder only to go back up my neck and end at my lips. By the time he was done my eyes were closed and my body was positively humming for more.

I felt his lips light on mine and I knew our time together was now limited.

"Babe, get dressed. I will be outside waiting for you. For the record if Lester saw you in this, I would have to kill him." He said and I swallowed hard. I assumed he was kidding but there was no humor in his eyes, it didn't really seem like a joke.

It was only when he closed the door to the dressing room behind him that I realized Lester had planned this all along. Part of me was smiling like a fool and the other part of me wanted to be slightly angered that he would let me panic in seeing this thinking I was about to model it for him. The happiness at him planning something so thoughtful and how he went about it took over any thoughts of anger. My lips were still tingling and my body was still humming once I had changed back to my clothing.

Bobby needed to release me soon or I was going to combust.

When I stepped out of the dressing room Lester had rejoined us and was smiling big and goofy, happy his plan had worked out. Carlos pulled me to him placing a kiss on my lips. "Babe I need to go. Have a good time with goofball here." He said motioning to Lester beside him. I nodded smiling.

"Have fun Batman." I said the word just tumbled off of my lips. He cocked his head at me I knew questioning the nickname I had just called him. I had no idea where it came from so I just shrugged and confessed. "It just sort of came out." I said.

He shook his head smiling and kissed me one last time before turning and walking away. What a nice view it was of him, walking away. I believe I moaned but I wasn't a hundred percent certain as Lester didn't say anything.

"Where to now?" I asked my partner in crime. He shrugged.

"It's up to you, Beautiful, you tell me where." He said. I looked at him and smiled.

"Thank you." I said, letting him know that I appreciated him doing this, that I knew he had planned it. He nodded smiling as we made our way out of Victoria's Secret.

We had walked around the mall stepping into a store here and there when I had seen something of interest. We were on our way back to Macy's to look at the shoes when we rounded the corner and came face to face with none other than Joe Morelli.

"Cupcake" he said and I growled. Lester quickly placed his body between mine and Joe's.

"Joe" I said my voice clipped and guarded.

"Where you been, didn't you know you had your mother and me worried sick. Do you know care that people are worried about you?" He asked me you could hear the anger and judgment in his voice.

"Joe, I am not having this conversation with you. What I do in my life is none of your business. I thought I made myself plenty clear the last time we met. I don't answer to you." I told him anger welling up in me.

"Just relax Cupcake that was a long time ago, I already said I was sorry. What more do you want. You broke my damn leg; I think that is retribution enough." He said. Oh he thought he had paid the price.

I felt Lester stiffen up at his comments, I couldn't see his eyes but I would bet they have hardened and the green had gotten brighter, bolder. I could feel hatred radiate off of his body. Damn, Lester was pissed.

"Joe, so I broke your leg trust me that was nothing compared to the years of ridicule you caused me, not to mention the line of boys that harassed me for the remainder of my school years trying to find out if what you wrote about me was real or not. Joe, I would have taken the broken leg." I admitted to him.

I will not cry, I will not cry. I told myself. I was mad at him still and when I got this mad sometimes I couldn't help the tears. I didn't want him to think I was vulnerable in anyway. I had to be strong.

"Cupcake, that was how many years ago now? Let it go. Your mother has been worried sick and she came to me asking for my help in finding you." He said and I knew that was bullshit.

"Oh did she now? Somehow I don't see her turning to you. Like you would know anything about me, or where I was. What I see happening is that you couldn't find out anything about me and you went running to her for information, then you got her involved because you thought through her you would have access to me. What is it you wanted to know anyway?" I said my voice rising with my anger and frustration at him having cornered us here at the mall ruining my perfect day.

"Cupcake I am a changed man. I know I treated you wrong as a teenager but honestly I have changed now that I am grown man. For Christ sake I am police officer. I am not the same wild teenager who stole your virtue as you say. I actually was worried about you. I didn't know what to think when I heard you had an accident and then I wasn't able to check on you to see if you were okay. I am not heartless." He said. Yeah right.

"Joe first off if that was half true, what you said, you wouldn't be calling me Cupcake. You know I have always hated it. Secondly you forget I know you. I have known you a long time and the Joe I know doesn't just do things out of the kindness of his heart. There is always an agenda, a reason. What's yours?" I pushed back.

"Well I thought if you were back in town maybe you could give me a second chance or third chance I don't know how many it is, depends on how far back you go. Maybe we could go out, get some dinner or something." He said, so the truth is out he continued.

"I had heard how you lost your job and all so I thought maybe you would be thinking about settling down. I sort of always saw us as a couple." He said as if I had no say in the situation as if he was just going to walk up to me tell me we were a couple and I was going to go right along with him. What the fuck gave him the right? I questioned as my angered boiled over within me.

Having Lester standing between Joe and I gave me the courage to act on the anger within me. Lester was bigger than Joe, and I knew he wouldn't let Joe's Italian temper harm me so I took advantage of the situation and decided to tell Joe exactly what I thought of him, and his stupid fucking idea.

"Joe, I don't know what gave you the impression that I would want that. I don't know what would make you think I would be willing to settle down because I lost my job. I further have no fucking clue what gave you the idea that I would want to settle down with you." I practically screamed at him now that I started I was on a roll and was unable to stop.

My insides were shaking from the anger and I didn't care if I was standing in the middle of the mall. I was radiating with temper, aggression, and hatred that had been bottled up inside of me since the Tasty Pastry incident.

"You forget Joe I had you once, it was enough to last me a life time. It was enough for me to know that I never wanted you touching me again. It was enough for me to know that I never wanted you talking to me again, standing in front of me, or God forbid doing anything else with you. I have no desire to eat a meal with you, to be in the same room with you, in fact. I don't want you over at my parent's house either. I want you to walk out of here and leave me the fuck alone forever, are we clear?" I asked him. I had attempted to walk around Lester in my anger the need to push Joe back away from me was overwhelming. Lester had blocked my movement subtly but he had kept his body between us.

"Cupcake…" He started to say and I cut him off.

"I said don't call me that." I screamed as I went to reach for Lester's gun on his belt. I felt hands grab me and move me slightly to keep me from pulling Lester's gun on a Trenton police officer. But in my eyes he wasn't a Trenton Police Officer he was the nuisance of a kid from the neighborhood that had been the bane of my existence and I wanted to finally make it clear exactly how I felt about him.

"Joe, leave me alone, if we were the last two people on earth I wouldn't sleep with you. The world would just die with us. Remember your dick has also been in Joyce and that would be reason enough for me, but because this is you, well that reason isn't even on the charts of reasons why I wouldn't allow you in my life." I screeched at him my nose flaring with each breath I took my ribs aching from the expanding and contracting of my lungs. Normally I wouldn't like to admit that I screech because it is so annoying to hear someone screeching but in this case I was unable to control myself. I was unable to keep from doing it.

"Get out of our way, and never do this again or I won't be responsible for my actions." I warned him. I knew he had singled us out. In all the times I had come to the mall the one person I never ran into was Joe Morelli. He had heard about my being here and he was here to corner me. I guess he succeeded in his mission.

I felt Cal move beside me as if further relaying my message to leave me alone. Joe held up his hands in surrender. But I narrowed my eyes at him. I knew him well enough to know, that it wasn't a I surrender in the way that I will leave you alone, as much as it was a I surrender to leave you alone today.

"I mean today and every day after today until the day you die." I said my voice cold, clipped, and full of warning.

"Stephanie for Christ sake what does a man have to do to say he is sorry to you?" He said. I narrowed my eyes at him. This was an easy question to answer. I had the exact answer for how he could tell me he was sorry.

"You want to tell me you are sorry for all the shit you have put me through?" I asked him and he nodded.

"Well that is simple Joe, leave me the fuck alone. Never speak to me again, never bother me again. You do that and I will accept your apology, anything short of that and I know you weren't sorry, nor are you sorry." I said.

His mouth dropped open at my response. I had gotten him he hadn't seen that coming. He has always been such a dumbass. He has always thought every girl fell for his good looks, or vied for his attention. I guess Stephanie Plum was immune to the Joe spell because he had no power here. I smiled at him and raised my eyebrows, yes both. I was challenging him either he wanted my forgiveness or he didn't there was only one way to get it now which would he choose.

He nodded his head, relenting. "Have a nice life Cup…Stephanie. Oh and for Christ's sake call your mother, she is worried." He said throwing his hands in the air, as he turned and walked away from us. It was only then that I let myself relax against Cal who was standing beside me. I leaned into his side as I reached out and grabbed Lester's arm. I was exhausted.

Lester turned around placing his hand on the side of my face causing me to focus on his eyes. "Let's go sit down. I will get you a Coke." He said. I nodded as we made our way back to the food court. Cal put his arm around me helping support me as I walked. I was definitely weaker, shakier, and more tired since our run in with Joe.

"Beautiful, it is just the adrenaline. It will wear off in minute, the Coke will help. Let us help you." He said and I nodded. I knew they would help me, I didn't have to worry. I trusted them; I knew they would take care of me.

**Tell me what you think….Leave a Review!**


	38. Chapter 37: To Forgive or Not To Forgive

**Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! For those that have Private messages turned off that left Reviews thank you for the reviews! I love reading every one of them so keep them coming.**

**I want to Thank Margaret Fowler for encouraging this story out of me. When I mentioned it to you 6 – 7 months ago you didn't let it die in my head. You kept pressing for it so here it is finally being written! I hope it is everything you thought it would be.**

**Standard Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine. They belong to JE I just take them out of the box and play with them a little. I have begged to keep Ranger and Lester for myself but I have yet to get a response… **

**I need to apologize for not getting the chapter ready for Monday posting. I was away over the weekend and when I got home Sunday I was entirely too worn out to focus on writing the chapter. I tried, hated it, and deleted it. So I hope you enjoy this version. To make up, this is an extra long chapter!**

**On a good note my niece Zoe who will be 7 in October had an ice skating competition, the Virginia State Games. She got 1****st**** place in one of her solo events competing against 6 other skaters, qualifying her for the State Games of America in Pennsylvania in 2013. Her theater on Ice team also qualified with a 3****rd**** place. I was so proud of her and the girls and guys of CFSC!**

**You can thank Margaret for the chapter being ready today. She was constantly beating me to type for the past two days! Margaret, don't be mad, you know I have nothing but love for you! **

**Chapter 37: To Forgive or to Not Forgive.**

**RPOV**

Fuck, I slammed the phone down. That mother fucker had cornered Stephanie as soon as I left the mall. I picked the phone back up calling my contact at the bureau.

"When are you going to get him in?" I asked without the introductions being made. I didn't have time to fuck around with him even if he was an old friend.

"Hello to you too." He said in a way too calm of a voice for me to not become further pissed at him for trying to fuck with me.

"Do not fucking push me, it's not a good day." I told him. Thinking how this news had fucked up a perfectly great day. I had seen Stephanie in a beautiful negligee held her soft ass in my hands as I pressed her warm core into my hard cock. Feeling her body respond to my touch had made my day.

Now that I get back to the office for my meeting I get this fucking call from Cal as he is getting her a Coke at the mall while he reports to me about how the adrenaline spike was wearing on her. All because this fucker was still lose in Trenton playing fucking cop.

He was either going into the Bureau or he was going to go on a long mission that he would never return from. Either way this was never happening again.

Stephanie didn't want to deal with him, see him for her own reasons and well me being me and her being my woman I would move heaven and earth to make it happen. I didn't question her reasoning because she wanted it; it was reason enough for me.

"Relax already the offer is out, from what I can tell, he has accepted the offer to join the academy class and will be flying out end of the week to start training in California. You are welcome by the way because I had to pull major fucking strings and burn several favors to make this happen. Not to mention cover shit up about his failed psych exams." He told me. Hearing the report allowed me to relax a little bit.

"Well that is good. I am glad to hear it. He cornered her today at the mall. I heard she held her own but she got pretty upset by the confrontation and my men had to help her through the adrenaline crash." I confessed to him.

"You weren't there?" He questioned, dumb fucker. Had I been there would my men have helped her?

"No, I wasn't there." I stated my voice sounding clipped and hardened at my friend who wasn't the enemy or even the target of my true anger.

"Well he will be gone soon. Hang tight and all will be dealt with." He said. I nodded. I wasn't typically a patient man. I didn't hang tight as he said. I was a man of action but in this case the best course of action was to just wait until he was gone.

"So long as he is gone by the end of the week." I said as I disconnected the cal. I wasn't in the mood for pleasantries.

I picked up the folder and made my way to the second floor for the meeting. I wanted to fucking can the meeting and go to her but I knew Lester and Cal would take care of her. She wasn't hurt so she would be fine so I tried to focus myself on the customer waiting for me.

**LPOV**

Cal had gone to get her a Coke to help the effects of the adrenaline rush that was leaving her system. She hadn't been trained to deal with adrenaline rushes. We would show her if she wanted but hopefully it wouldn't be something she would need to deal with a lot.

I knew Cal would have called Ranger and reported the incident while he was getting the Coke. I thought it was a good sign that he hadn't called me or sent me a text telling me to meet him on the mats. I did what I could do considering he blindsided us. Of course because he blindsided us was reason enough for Ranger to kick our asses for failing to protect her. Joe was harmless enough but had it been a true threat blindside us it could have gone much differently.

I put that thought aside as I picked up her foot with the brace and placed it in the chair to help take the pressure off of her leg.

"Beautiful can I ask you something?" I asked really unsure if I wanted to go here with her. She looked at me her eyebrows knitted together but she nodded her head.

Here goes nothing I thought.

"Why did you get so upset when you saw Morelli? I know what he did and trust me I wanted to bash his face in but I wanted to know why you got so upset. I understand what he did to you and everything but I need to understand after all these years why haven't you let go of it?" I asked her really uncertain if this was a smart line of questioning, especially, right now.

She shrugged her shoulders but looked a little sheepish at me like she wasn't sure to answer or not.

"Beautiful I am not judging you. I didn't ask you that to judge your decision. I asked you that out of concern." I confessed hoping that it would make her feel a little better about opening up and talking to me.

"Lester, I guess when I see him it brings me back to that moment. I am that girl standing in the tasty pastry shop and he is standing there and I feel the intimidation, I feel helplessness that I felt that night and I hate those feelings so to cover for those feelings I get angry, and I let my anger control me." She said and I nodded understanding fully what she was talking about.

"I let him take advantage of me that night. I let him, I could have fought back, I could have said no for Christ sakes but I was just dumb founded. I did nothing but let him do what he did. I won't say I was a victim because I wasn't. I would have been a victim if I had said no and he forced me but there was no force from him because there was no resistance from me. I guess that pisses me off the most, the fact that I did nothing, the fact that I allowed him to do that and then he went and wrote about it all over town for everyone to know about it." She added.

I nodded my understanding.

"Beautiful you had no control over him writing about it all over town, that isn't your fault. Fuck, none of this was your fault. You were taken advantage of in a way you are the victim. You didn't say yes, because he never asked you." I told her trying to make her see that she wasn't wrong.

"Lester it was a long time ago its water over the bridge. What's done is done and it can't be changed. I just hate to think that I was ever that vulnerable to ever let someone do that to me and for me to say nothing." She said.

"I get it Beautiful, I do. More than you will ever know or I will ever be able to tell you." I confessed to her. Her eyes caught mine. I saw the questions and I shook my head no letting her know that I couldn't tell her.

"I can't tell you, not that I don't want to, I do, so you could understand that everyone finds themselves in these situations and you do the best you can to deal with them however you can. Beautiful, we have all been there, our time in the military we have done some pretty heinous stuff. Stuff that if we were able to tell you, would probably make you never look at us or speak to us again. Thankfully for us, they are classified and we can't tell you. Most weren't out of choice most were by orders, or because it was the only option for survival." I further confessed to her.

"Lester none of us are perfect. I am sure I have done plenty to make you all look at me and think what the hell am I wasting my time with her." She said and it spiked my curiosity what was it that she could have done that was so heinous that she thought we wouldn't want to be around her. There was no way in hell she could have more skeletons in her closet than we had in ours. I was pretty certain of that one.

"Beautiful, I guarantee you that there is nothing from your past that we would even blink an eye at let alone consider turning our backs on you." I told her. Even if she killed someone in cold blood it was nothing that none of us haven't been guilty of. Just because Uncle Sam ordered us to do it as part of our jobs doesn't make the sin any less. In the end, it was our choice; it was us pulling the trigger not them.

She looked at me once again I could see the questioning in her eyes.

"Trust me, there is nothing." I told her slowing my speech down putting emphasis on each and every word. Something about this whole conversation was bothering me. This was a side to Beautiful that she didn't let many people see and it was a sad, vulnerable side. I had caught her at a weaker moment and it was clearly showing.

I went to say something but Cal stepped up and placed the Coke on the table and it was like the spell was broken and the walls were back up and the Stephanie we had all seen was back. The stronger more determined Stephanie.

"Everything okay?" Cal asked picking up on the vibes around the table and I nodded.

"Yeah everything is okay." I said as I sat back in my chair my arms resting on the arm rests as I thought about the looks and the words she had said.

Cal looked at me and I could tell he was asking me what the fuck happened. I gave him barely a head shake no telling him not now. I could tell this wasn't going to be something he was going to drop easily, he thought I had upset her, but in fact, I think she had upset me more than I had upset her.

She was drinking the Coke.

"Feeling better?" I asked her and she nodded her head with the straw still sticking out of her mouth sucking the Coke down as if it was water.

"Good. Beautiful, I meant what I said earlier. I also want you to know that as long as you hold those feelings in, you are giving him power over you." I told her. I saw Cal's eyebrows move down and closer as his eyes focused tighter on me. It was a warning. The warning was clear, upset her and I will fuck your world up. He needed to understand I was only trying to help her.

She looked at me for a little while contemplating what I was telling her.

"Beautiful, for him to get you that upset when you see him, gives him power. I don't want him having that kind of power over you." I explained to her.

"I stood up to him; he doesn't have power over me." She quickly looked at Cal and back at me. She wasn't sure what to say in front of him. I wanted to tell him to get lost but I knew after this he wasn't leaving. He wasn't sure what was being said between us or why and I was certain he wasn't going to step away from us until he knew. I knew if I was in his shoes, I would do the same thing.

"Lester, drop it. I am fine. Yes, I feel vulnerable and insecure around him but that isn't anything I can't handle." I noticed she used slightly different words but I guess in the end it was sort of the same feelings. She continued.

"Beautiful what I am saying is you don't have to feel those way. You don't need to feel like that little girl in the Tasty Pastry when you see him." I tried to explain.

"How?" she said single word her eyes clearly telling me she was skeptical of my statement, at best.

"Forgiveness." I said almost wincing when I said it. I wasn't one to forgive easily and I knew more than anyone the power someone has over you when you don't forgive them. Forgiveness isn't for them, it's for you. But it's a hard lesson to learn and even a harder one to remember, especially for me. So I was one to preach this shit, but I was trying to help her.

"Forgiveness? Lester have you fallen to earth and bumped your fucking head?" She said and I almost did a double take at her choice of words. It wasn't that I had fragile ears, far from it. I had hung out with her a lot and the most she really said was the smaller curse words this time she was pulling out the big one. She meant business.

I shook my head. "Beautiful, no, I haven't bumped my head." I said and Cal snickered.

"Couldn't fucking prove it by me, dumbshit. This is one of those moments I am thinking pot or kettle." Cal said smirking because he knew how I struggled with the very thing I was telling her to do. I tilted my head to the side and gave him a look that said now you fucking join in the conversation? You pick this moment to fucking speak up. Who is the dumbshit? Of course I don't say it out loud but I hear the fuck you coming clearing from him. As well as the boastful smile that says prove me wrong. The fucker had gotten my message loud and clear and sent one of his own.

"Lester, I don't want to forgive him. I will never forgive him." She stated and her voice was harsher more firm. I could tell her stubborn streak was going to be showing itself on this topic but even knowing that I was unable to derail the train from this conversation, something about this was eating at me.

"Beautiful…" I started to say but she cut me off.

"Don't you Beautiful me, drop it." She said and I raised my hands up in the air relenting to her wishes. I was dropping it, at least for now.

"Lester, I am sorry, but I am not ready to forgive him and I may never be ready for it. I deal with him just fine when I am forced to. When I am not, he is not even a thought or consideration. It isn't like I have any hang ups on him or what happened between us." She said. I nodded agreeing with her because she wasn't ready to hear anything else but I wasn't totally buying what she was selling. She may not think about him, but she definitely had hang ups when it came to what had happened. That was clear.

I looked at Cal. I saw the look in his eyes, he was clearly telling me to drop it and I nodded to him letting him know I was dropping it.

"How are you feeling now?" I asked her already knowing she was feeling better. You could hear it in her voice that she was feeling better. She was back in control; the shakes had left her other than looking a little tired, she was okay.

"I am feeling better." She said and I smiled at her to let her know everything was going to be okay.

Her eyes accessing me, questioning if she could trust that I wasn't going to bring the subject back up while she held the Coke close to her sucking on the straw almost in a manner much like a child that wants something his parents doesn't want them to have or do and they pout and sulk until one gives in.

I had given in, I had dropped it. "Beautiful, you ready to have some more fun?" I asked her and she shook her head; no.

"Lester, I think I have had all the fun I can take for a day. I mean I had fun, and I didn't get a chance to thank you for having Carlos meet us. But, I am tired I think I just want to go back home now." She said and I paused at the word home.

Did she mean Rangeman home, or her home? I really hoped she was referring to Rangeman as home. The thought made me smile. "Beautiful we can go home if you would like." I said thinking she would correct me if she wasn't speaking of Rangeman.

She nodded once again reminding me of a petulant child. I wasn't sure why, maybe it was the stubbornness. Maybe it was the fact that she was so unwilling to listen to me when all I was trying to do was help her. But it was clearly a no fly zone for her.

When she was done we got up, she threw her cup in the trash, and we headed out to the car. We had walked through the exit door and were on the sidewalk when Beautiful grabbed my arm, bringing us to an abrupt halt.

"Beautiful, is something wrong?" I asked her wondering if she was going to be sick or something. I scanned the parking lot and saw no one near us.

"Lester my spidey senses are going off again. We need to stay away from the car." She said. I looked at the car and from this distance I wasn't able to see anything that stood out to alarm her.

"Cal, stay with her I am going to check it out." I said, but she grabbed my arm, holding on tighter shaking her head no. I looked at Cal not sure exactly what to do. I wanted to listen to her but we couldn't stand on the sidewalk in front of Macy's all day. We were already exposed too much just standing here.

"Cal, go get your vehicle. We will wait inside for you to pull up. I will call a team to investigate the car we drove." I said, he nodded and headed out into the parking lot. We stepped back into the doorway I was making sure to keep my body between her and anyone that could possibly be lurking outside. Something had her concerned. We have always been taught to trust our inner voice. Our sixth sense, so to speak, it keeps us safe many times. I was taking her spidey senses seriously. Even if she was wrong, the most that would happen would be Rangeman sending a team to evaluate the car. If it was for nothing those fuckers needed more to do anyway, but I had a feeling it wasn't for nothing.

Cal pulled up and before we exited the store I looked at her. "We are going to go out and get in the backseat. I want to protect you as much as possible. I am going to try to keep my body between you and any place where a potential threat could be." I said to her not giving her a chance to refute my orders.

She nodded. I grabbed her hand in one hand and placed my other hand at the small of her back. It kept her exactly where I wanted her. Using the vehicle as cover we quickly made it out of the door to the SUV and climbed in the back. Soon as the door closed Cal had the vehicle in motion headed to Rangeman.

**RPOV**

"Report!" I barked at Cal and Lester when they entered my office. I had heard Manny, Hector, and Woody had been called out to investigate the vehicle Lester and Stephanie had taken to the mall.

"Man I haven't heard anything yet." Lester said. No shit stupid fuck they just left. I just looked at him allowing my eyes to harden at his stupid question. The glare at him had him swallowing, good now we are getting somewhere.

"Ranger man everything was, and is, fine. Cal told you about the run in she had with Morelli. We got her a Coke, all seemed well enough and when we exited the mall she grabbed my arm telling me that we shouldn't go near the car. When I tried to go check it out she stopped me. So we rode back with Cal and you know the rest." He said.

I saw Cal shift a little, I knew there was more to the story but I could see that Cal didn't want to be the one to tell it and he was going to go along with Lester not bringing it up. This was about my Babe, they were fucking going to tell me or there asses were going to be meeting me on the mats until one spilled what they knew.

"What else. There is more, tell me now." I demanded. My voice hard, to the point they knew I wasn't fucking with them.

"Well it isn't anything really. I think I upset Beautiful a little bit but it's all good now. I dropped it and she was fine before we left." Lester said as if that was all that needed to be said. Did the fucker not know me? I raised my eyebrow demanding more and deciding if I had to ask for more then he would be meeting me on the mats.

"Ranger after the run in with Morelli she was shaken, I questioned her about it. About her response and I tried to offer her some advice." He said still not enough information.

Cal decided to speak up. "Ranger he was giving her the forgiveness speech, you know, the 'forgive others so you can be free' speech." I looked at Lester questioning that he would tell someone else that. Fuck that fucker never knew how to forgive. He still held grudges from when he was in grade school.

Lester looked down then back up at me shifting his weight. "I know I am not the one to be preaching that shit but man I am telling you something has her hung up on that whole thing. She is still carrying around a lot of anger and this happened a while ago. I get being pissed at him, I get the wanting to beat the shit out of him, because I do, but it didn't happen to me that many years ago I am just reacting because it is fresh in my head. This isn't fresh in her head or at least it shouldn't be. She is hung up and I thought if I could talk to her for a little bit I could figure out what it was and then we could figure out a way to help her." He confessed.

I nodded my understanding he was trying to help her. I couldn't fault him for that.

"So tell me more about the car and her spidey sense?" Lester smiled.

"Man it's not like anything you have ever seen. She sense Cal watching her. She looked directly where he was. She knew she was being watched and wouldn't settle down until Cal came out. She also said she felt like she was being watched even after Cal came out. We scanned area and didn't see anyone of threat. Guess we missed Morelli. Then I told you about what she did at the car." Lester said and I could see the pride in him. He was proud of her.

My phone rang, it was Manny. "Report".

"Ranger, we found something. Had Lester hit the unlock button the car would have blown. Depending on how close, it would have been all over. There was enough C4 to take out the vehicle plus the five other cars around it. He is lucky. How did he know something was wrong with the car?" Manny asked.

I was barely able to speak. My throat had gone dry. Fuck. Her spidey Sense had saved at least her and Lester and possibly Cal as well.

"I want you to analyze that shit and I want to know who." I told him as I disconnected the call and threw the phone across the room watching it bust into pieces. Fuck it; I could get another phone that was but just the very tip of the iceberg for what I wanted to do. What I needed to do. I needed my Babe.

"C4, would have detonated had you hit the unlock button on the key remote." I relayed to them my voice sounding more affected than I wanted. If it weren't for my years of services, years of training I wouldn't have been able to continue standing or kept my knees from shaking at just holding my sheer weight. The realization that I could have lost her before I really even had her hitting me harder than I wanted to admit.

Harder than I wanted to acknowledge but it was real. The pain was real and whenever I found who it was responsible, their death would be very real. I had a feeling I knew where it all originated and a plan started forming in my head. I knew information about my handler that I knew he didn't know I knew. I knew where he lived, I knew where his wife worked, I knew where his kids went to school and while I was a monster, I wasn't a monster that hurt women and children unless under force. While I knew this, my handler did not and I would use that to my advantage.

He had gone after what was mine, now it was time for me to go after what was his and see if he liked it when the tables were turned. I couldn't help but wonder if he would continue to think it was such a wise move. I pulled the folder out of the drawer. It was a folder that I had gathered the information in a long time ago when we first started working him.

You could call it a little insurance policy and it was about to pay off. I never made it a habit of doing business with anyone I didn't know and that included government business.

I noticed Lester looked a little pale as well as Cal. "Pull it together soldier nothing happened. She saved both of your asses not only from the bomb but from me. You kept her protected when clearly there was a threat at the mall outside of Morelli." I told them.

"I think I know who is behind this. Hopefully Manny will be able to look at the bomb and see who built it. We all know that there are tell tale signs from every bomb builder. He will know as soon as he looks at it and we will know who to hunt. However, he isn't the driving force. He was sent here. My hander wants me back and he is threatening her, to get to me. It has now gone beyond threat to attack and we will attack back. Only harder, I intend on sending a message he won't ever forget." I told them.

They nodded stepping forward closer to me. "What do you need from us?" Lester spoke up I just shook my head.

"Nothing right now, but what you did today, only I expect better this time. Protect her. Keep her protected. This is going to take me away probably a day or two and when I get back if she so much as has a fucking paper cut, or a broken fingernail I will hold you accountable. Do I make myself clear?" I said my voice hard and dripping with warning.

"Seriously boss she could break a fingernail in the shower. Do you want me showering with her?" Lester said and I locked eyes with him. My eyes catching his and holding his, I allowed mine to harden to show him I wasn't fucking playing with him; this wasn't the time to joke. He shrugged.

"I am just saying…" he started to say but I'd had enough of his bullshit.

"Lester, don't fuck with me over this, keep her protected. If you shower with her consider your life over." I started for the door before turning around. "She is my woman, don't forget that, and remember there is a line it would serve you well to know where that line is and to not cross it." I told him and he nodded.

I walked out of the office headed to the stairwell. I wanted to hold my Babe, feel her in my arms and know that she was here and safe beside me.

**SPOV**

When we got back to Rangeman I decided to come up to seven instead of stopping on the fifth floor. I was tired, I was cranky, and my nerves were shot. I needed some alone time to think and just be by myself.

I lay across the bed in my thinking position, on my back starring up at the ceiling, arms and legs spread out, Lester had hit a sore spot today. He had gotten closer than anyone and I was on the brink of confessing one my deepest darkest secrets, had Cal not walked up, I may have told him. I was vulnerable and felt like I needed to spill the real reasons for hating Joe the way I did.

I wanted so bad to believe him when he said there was nothing about me that would make them see me differently but I wasn't sure if that was in fact true. When Cal joined us I knew there was no way I could come clean in front of him. I knew these guy's closets held skeletons and I knew they had done some stuff that I couldn't even fathom. I may not be wise to all of the hells on earth but I wasn't naïve enough to not know they existed. I knew these guys not only knew of their existence but they had been to them, spent time there and knew them more intimately than I or many people ever would.

I could respect that, I could understand that and I could understand why they would have done some of the things they would never want to share with me. But the same couldn't be said for me. I didn't have the same reasons for what I had done. I didn't deserve the same leniency and so I kept it my deepest darkest secret.

I heard the door open and I tried to decide if I should pretend if I was sleep or if I should just continue to lay here as I was. I guess I decided because I didn't move. I blame it on not having the energy to move to do anything differently than I was.

Carlos walked into the room, sat down on the bed.

"You okay Babe?" He asked me and I looked at him. I saw the stress around his eyes, concern or something deeper in his eyes. I nodded, not taking my eyes off of him.

He reached out and pushed my hair behind my ear smiling slightly. "You did good today, you followed your instincts, your spidey sense as you call it, and you were right. Babe, not only did you save yourself but you saved Lester and Cal as well." He told me and tears popped into my eyes.

"Oh Babe, don't cry." He said as I sat up and reached for him. He quickly adjusted himself and then pulled me to him placing me on his lap as the tears ran down my cheek and the emotions from the day wracked my body. I didn't really know why I was crying I mean Lester, Cal and I were safe, but I couldn't help it.

The feelings of being overwhelmed just hit me like a train and crying seemed as though it was the only thing I was capable of.

I felt him hold me tight against his chest. One of his hands fisted in my hair keeping my cheek against him, the other rubbing soothing circles and strokes up and down my back as he gently just barely moved back and forth in an attempt to comfort me. I heard a whisper of Spanish, from his lips, in my ear. I could feel the air from his mouth more than I could really hear the words he was saying but I found it completely comforting. I closed my eyes just to take in the feelings.

I wasn't sure what he was saying, but I felt as though it was words of love, admiration, and even a promise of sorts. I found myself relaxing, the crying beginning to subside, and a sense of peace and calm wash over my body.

"That's it Babe, calm down. It's okay. Everyone is okay. You did good today. You protected yourself and my guys. Something they should have been doing. I am proud of you." He said and I found myself tearing up for a completely different reason. I don't know the last time I had someone tell me they were proud of me. I was pretty sure it was back when my Grandmother was still living.

He tilted my head up to look at him and I smiled. "You know it's been a long time since I heard someone say they were proud of me for something. I don't know what made me stop Lester but something just felt off. I could feel it. I can't explain it beyond that but all I did was stop him and tell him not to go near the vehicle." I told him feeling like I hadn't really done that much.

"Babe you did so much more than that. You realized there was a threat, you felt the danger, and you acted on it. You trusted your instincts, your instincts are strong and good, and because of that you, Lester, and Cal all came back safe. Not only that, we have the bomb, we have disarmed it so no one else could get hurt and we are able to study the bomb to let us know who built it." He told me.

I didn't say anything. I let the sound of his voice, the vibration of his chest further comfort me.

He moved and adjusted us so that we were lying down, him on his back, me beside him, half on his chest and half off.

We had laid there just holding each other him stroking my hair, my back, my arm. This is what content felt like. There was no need to keep a conversation going between us. We could lay there holding each other without reason, without feeling like we had to talk, or do something else. I found it comforting and completely relaxing.

"I am sorry." I finally said. The room had gotten dark. The sun was almost down for the day and we had just laid there holding on to each other, lost in our own thoughts and feelings. He shifted under me and I knew he was looking at me, I could feel his eyes on me. I didn't change position to meet his eyes.

I just laid there with my head on his chest looking off the side of the bed at the wall across the room my fingers tracing little circles on his tight abs through his shirt. "Babe?" I heard the question in him just saying my name.

"I am sorry for crying all over your shirt." I told him. He shrugged it off.

"Babe it's a shirt." He said his voice clearly saying it didn't matter, it was then my turn to shrug. His arms tightened briefly around me before letting the pressure go and his arms just resting on me his fingers working magic over my back, arm and side.

"Lester said I need to forgive him." I said out of the blue, sort of shocking me that it had come out of my mouth.

"Forgive who"

"Forgive Joe." I said my voice quieter than it normally would have been. My mind was trying to process everything.

"Babe, Lester can be a dumb ass at times. He can say the wrong thing at the wrong time and most of the time he is full of shit. Having said that, when it comes to what he said about needing to forgive he isn't wrong. However, like you, like me, hell like most of the men in this building saying it and telling someone else what they need to do is easier than actually doing it. We can all see it in someone else but fail to see the signs when it comes to us." He said and I nodded but I wasn't really sure what he was saying.

"Babe, you can't see the symptoms in yourself because you can't be objective about it. It is too real, too painful, and too close for you to be objective about it. Lester has the same problem. We all do." He confessed to me.

"How do you quit being so angry?" I asked him, he sort of shrugged his shoulders and then said the one word I was hoping he wouldn't.

"By forgiving, Babe, forgiving someone isn't for them, it's for you, so the anger nor does the hatred turn you away from love, away from life." He said tightening his hold on me sounding as though he was speaking from experience. I closed my eyes.

"How do you forgive when you are so angry? How do you forgive, when you see the person and all you want to do is bash in their skull, for what they did? How do you forgive someone when that is what you feel, when you see them?" I asked him trying desperately to understand.

"Babe that is the million dollar question, and if I had the answer it would be my face you would see on TV instead of Dr. Phil's. I don't know, fuck none of us in this building know. We tend to react and take our revenge the way we want, the way we see fit. It doesn't make us right though. It makes us something entirely different than right. I am not sure any of us are qualified to answer those questions because I am not sure any of us have figured them out. The best I can say, is that we struggle with it, but we try our best to keep it from controlling us, controlling our emotions, and more importantly our reactions. But not all the time do we succeed. Not all the time do we want to succeed in forgiving, some things there is just no forgiveness for." He told me and I felt like he was leaving something off but I allowed him to drop the subject. This was hitting too close and I needed to change the subject to get the thoughts that Carlos may not be able to look past my deepest secret to forgive me, or love me.

I sigh at the feelings of being overwhelmed, my mind trying to make sense out of what Carlos had said. I knew it made sense, the only trouble I was having, was the how. I also was trying to not think about his comments about not wanting to forgive someone. I felt my grip tighten on his t-shirt holding him to me or me to him for as long as I could.

**Let me know what you think….Leave a review.**


	39. Chapter 38: The Telling of Secrets

**Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! For those that have Private messages turned off that left Reviews thank you for the reviews! I love reading every one of them so keep them coming.**

**I want to Thank Margaret Fowler for encouraging this story out of me. When I mentioned it to you 6 – 7 months ago you didn't let it die in my head. You kept pressing for it so here it is finally being written! I hope it is everything you thought it would be.**

**Standard Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine. They belong to JE I just take them out of the box and play with them a little. I have begged to keep Ranger and Lester for myself but I have yet to get a response… **

**I need to apologize for not getting the chapter ready for Friday posting. Friday was a bad day, too much work, and life stuff to get the chapter ready. To make up, once again, an extra long chapter!**

**Chapter 38: The telling of Secrets**

**SPOV**

"Bobby what more do I have to do?" I screamed at him.

"Steph, honey calm down. I will release you for more physical activity when your body is ready." He said all too calm and with a sense of power; clearly he was having too much fun. I narrowed my eyes at him glaring at him wondering if this one time I would be able to zap him with the laser beam from my eyes, like my favorite superhero; Wonder Woman.

After a minute I gave up obviously that superpower was still under developed or on the fritz. I huffed, he was never going to release me and I was going to self combust if I spent another night in the same bed with Carlos without being released for more strenuous activity.

I hadn't told Bobby why I wanted it but he had figured it out. In the past couple of days he had separated Carlos and I a few times, and reminded us both of my physical condition and how I wasn't cleared for that level of physical activity.

I had never been more embarrassed but right now I was just mad. I had done his stupid leg lefts, his squats, walking on the treadmill all with this stupid walking brace on. I even did some exercises with it off. The only time I was allowed to take it off while on my feet, is when Bobby is with me and we are doing my physical therapy.

Bobby said I had a couple more weeks of wearing it and it would be able to come off and stay off, they couldn't get here soon enough but sooner than that I needed to be released for more physical activity. If I was bold enough I would negotiate, if I stayed on my back with my leg stretched out on the bed would he release me but I wasn't bold enough to ask him that. I would die of embarrassment before I could ask it.

It was bad enough having a whole building of guys knowing my hormones were out of control I didn't need to add to it by begging Bobby and negotiating positions. Maybe I would just forget about getting the release, Bobby wouldn't know, would he? I looked at him accessing if I thought he would figure it out, if he would know if Carlos and I just did it. I mean it would be up in the apartment in our bed how would he know?

"Don't bother thinking about it, Steph, I would know." He said and I looked at him, damn ESP because I know I didn't say anything out loud, how the hell?

"I wasn't thinking about anything, I don't know what you are talking about." I quickly said, maybe too quickly, in fact. My voice sounding defensive and slightly on edge as if I was hiding something, which in fact I was trying to hide something albeit not doing such a great job at it. He smiled at me. He knew I was lying. I sucked at lying so I shrugged my shoulders.

"Fine, okay, you caught me, I admit it. You happy now?" I asked him frustrated that I couldn't get him to give me the green light. He laughed and nodded. Glad he found humor in all of this. I think he's trying to kill me.

"Steph, honey, I am not trying to killing you, in fact quite the opposite I am trying to make sure that you heal a hundred percent without any problems." He said. Yeah, yeah, yeah. A lot of good healing my body a hundred percent will do when I self combust. He laughed again and I knew I had said that out loud. Shit.

I felt the blush rise as my face heated up.

"Again" he said and I once again narrowed my eyes at him hoping the laser would start working but once again nothing so I started doing the squats again.

Lester was out at a client location so I didn't have my personal cheering squad egging me on encouraging me like he normally did. I missed him. I didn't realize how much he helped push me to complete the exercise until he wasn't there.

I had done squat number ten thousand and fifty, or so it seemed, when I felt my legs start shaking I knew I had reached my limit. Sweat was rolling off me in a manner that is completely unfitting of a woman. No woman should ever sweat as much as I was currently sweating. My clothing drenched my face wet with beads of sweat rolling down my face, neck and into my cleavage area. The backs of my knees were sweating and I could feel beads of sweat roll down my back, legs, even my arms had beads of sweat. It was gross, disgusting and completely as unfeminine as a woman could be.

I was glad that Bobby didn't seem to care, or notice. He handed me a cold bottle of water and I attacked it like a woman who had crossed the Sahara Desert without water. I was hot, I contemplated pouring it over my head to cool me down; I couldn't get any wetter than I was.

I downed the water and dropped to the mat flat on my back. This was sort of my little piece of heaven after working really hard. I got to lay there on the mat, and feel the cool air of the gym cool my heated body. I got to feel my muscles relax a little while the jelly state wore off and the muscles felt like they were once again able to function and my bones became hardened enough to feel as though they could hold me up.

Normally Lester would lie beside me not because he had the same issues. Just because he could, if his muscles ever felt the way mine did I certainly hadn't seen it as he has never displayed the same symptoms.

It had been two days since the mall incident. I had spoken to him several times but he hadn't brought up the whole idea of forgiving Joe. I was glad. I had been nervous to be around him alone because I knew he could get me to tell my secret and I wasn't ready to tell it.

I was glad he wasn't asking.

"Steph when you get up I want you to come up to my office." Bobby said and I huffed. I knew what he wanted. He wanted to weigh me. He was keeping a close eye on how much weight I was gaining to make sure I was in fact gaining weight. One of the weeks here I lost a pound and you would have thought I committed some kind of murder. I told him it was because I was working out even with it being physical therapy it was more exercise than I normally did on any good day.

Bobby wasn't happy about it, but even with the explanation of it being the exercise being the case he wasn't happy, and since then he has been making me get on the scales once a week, today was the day. Well at least Lester wasn't here to announce how much I had gained to all of the guys.

I nodded still unable and unwilling to open my eyes.

I was lying there thinking of how I was going to convince Bobby to allow me to have sex. How childlike was that? I mean I was an adult, I could make my own decision, do what I wanted and yet here I was trying to contemplate how to get permission.

I finally got my ass up from the mat and start heading to Bobby's office.

"Okay let's do this." I said as I walked into the treatment area. He stood up from his desk area and met me beside the evil scales. Suddenly I got a brilliant idea and I stepped back from the scale. He looked at me raising an eyebrow.

"I will make you a deal." I quickly said. I saw his lips tip in a smile but he said nothing so I continued. "I will get on the scale and allow you to weigh me, even allow you to tell everyone what it is, if you release me for more physical activity." I tell him, thinking it is a good deal.

He shook his head no his smile growing causing my eyes to narrow; laser beam now, still nothing; damn.

"Well then I am not stepping on those scales." I said crossing my arms in front of my chest. He laughed a little you could see he thought this was humorous which is better than if he had gotten pissed. I really didn't want him to get pissed, but I wanted to be able to use it as leverage but I could see this wasn't going to actually work, but it may be a little fun.

"You know, I know exactly how much I weigh in the clothes I have on my back I could just pick you up weigh us both and then I would know exactly how much you weigh; problem solved." He said a smile breaking through letting me know he was partially playing along. He was pulling my tail I narrowed my eyes at him and backed up a step.

"You wouldn't dare." I told him unable to keep the traitorous smile from breaking free, I stepped back again putting a little more distance between us just in case he was serious. I was going to give myself as many advantages as I could with my mobility challenges. I was moving better but I wouldn't be able to out run a Rangeman. Hell even on my best day, I couldn't out run one of them let alone in a walking cast and besides if I haven't been cleared for sex I am pretty certain I hadn't been cleared to run so if Bobby does in fact chase me he will be breaking his rules; something to think about.

"Oh I would." He said stepping closer to me. I backed up more quickly glancing behind me to see what was behind me. What I could put between him and me to keep him from reaching me. If he grabbed me too quickly it would defeat the purpose.

I took a step back as he lunged forward in a big step. Oh it was on. I quickly shuffle backwards again turning slightly hoping he wouldn't grab me.

"You can't out run me, why are you even trying?" He said a smug smile on his face. He knew he had me, I mean this wasn't a fair race. But then again, David did slay Goliath and the turtle did beat the hare so all hope wasn't lost.

"Cocky aren't you. Don't you know that is the first sign to losing?" I told him as I tried to strategies my next move. I had moved back but if I continued I would be boxed in so I needed to move in a way that leads me more to the open area than a closed in area.

He laughed "I am not cocky it is just the facts. You in your walking cast won't be able to out run me." He said as he took another big step in my direction. He hadn't extended his hands towards me. He may be able to out run me but I was going to have to think about how I could out maneuver him. I took a step to the side and back and he countered trying to keep me more to the blocked area but I quickly steeped further moving more lateral.

I knew better to keep going back the way I had been going even if he gained a little on me in the process I was ahead by keeping from getting blocked in.

I turned and took a couple really quick steps before turning back he had kept up with me but hadn't gained any ground towards me. This was probably the point where the cat was playing with the mouse, but I was refusing to give up and throw in the towel even though I probably needed to do just that.

I was almost to the door when I bumped into something or should I say someone. I looked up and it was Cal. I quickly scurried behind him letting his body block mine. I knew Bobby wouldn't even be able to see me behind Cal's large frame.

"Cal, keep Bobby from getting me." I told him and his head turned around looking at me over his shoulder I saw the question in his eyes. I smiled to let him know that I was actually playing there was no threat not that he would think Bobby would hurt me. But I also knew that Cal was protective over me, he had proved that two days ago at the mall.

"You know that isn't going to save you." Bobby said and I couldn't help but think Oh yeah. Well it was doing a pretty good job of saving me…as you can't even see me. I hear laughter and I knew I had said that out loud so I joined in laughing as well.

"Hop on Angel, he won't have a chance." Cal said and I hoped up on his back him grabbing my thighs as I held on around his neck. Now that I had fast feet under me maybe Bobby wouldn't actually be able to catch me.

"Ha catch me now Bobby. What were you saying about my walking cast? Now I have two strong legs under me that can move." I told him. Bobby smiled. He threw his hands up in the air as if he was going to give up and straightened up his body more out of he's going to get me crouch.

"Don't trust him." I whispered in Cal's ear as I continued to hold on. I figured Bobby just wanted Cal to put me down and then he would grab me and weigh me. Cal held on with me perched safely on his back.

"Why is he after you Angel?" Cal asked me.

"He wants me to get on the scale and there is only one way I will stand on that scale and Bobby doesn't want to agree. So he threatened to grab me and weigh us both." I said.

"Well I can tell you weight, a hundred eight pounds." He said raising me up and down with his arms. How in the hell could he tell that? "You have gained ten pounds since you came here. I believe two this past week." He stated calmly and just matter of fact. I wanted to scream thank you so fucking much, big mouth, you just ruined my plans for getting released for physical activity in all your infinite perils of wisdom. When Bobby started laughing and Cal started apologizing I guess I had in fact told him because I had said it out loud. I just shrugged semi sulking that my plan had blown up in my face.

Bobby and Cal were both laughing, funny how I wasn't the one laughing on the inside, I was crying another night of sleeping beside Carlos being unable to touch. Damn. The laughter increased and I finally gave them both the finger, one for each of them, and walked out to their roar of laughter.

I made my way to the elevator and pushed the button for seven. I needed to get cleaned up.

**RPOV**

Plans were coming together. The only thing that bothered me is that they would take me away from here for at least two days to deal with my handler, x-handler. I would be sure to get all my men released from him with what I had planned because after I executed my plan none of them would be safe under him.

I needed a little help so I called up a general friend of mine who owed me several of favors. It was time to cash in on them.

"General, it's Ranger. I need a favor from you." I told him.

"Name it" he said serious as ever.

"I have several men that report to the same government handler, Michaels. I need to get their handlers changed to someone I can trust. I no longer trust him. He went after my woman, and I need to make sure that he won't go after my men." I said.

"Is he still living, or I should ask going to be living come tomorrow?" He asked me in all seriousness.

"That is yet to be determined, that is all dependent on him. But I take the lives of my men seriously and before anything further happens I need to have them reporting to a different handler one that can be trusted and one that Michaels has no leverage or pull with." I explained.

"Consider it done. I will take them all personally and once you have sorted this mess out we will figure out who can be trusted." He told me and I felt infinitely better about my plan knowing nothing will backfire on my men.

"Thank you." I said feeling the need to thank him.

"You are welcome. Now I trust that you will take care of things, keep your woman safe. I know for you to claim her, she must be something special. I hope to meet her one of these days." He said

"I would like that." I told him surprised that I actually meant it as we hung up.

Now it was just breaking it to my Babe that I was going to have to be gone for a few days. There was a knock at my door drawing me from my thoughts of how I was going to tell Stephanie.

"Enter" I said and the door opened and she walked through. She didn't look all too happy.

"What's wrong Babe?" I asked her.

"Nothing. Everything. I don't know." She said firing off one answer after the other blowing out a big breath of air.

"Well Babe it can't be all of them, talk to me." I told her and her eyes met mine as her cheeks colored a cute little pink.

"I tried my best to get Bobby to clear me and he won't." She huffed out as she flopped down on the couch throwing her legs up to allow her to lie down on the couch. I smiled at the sight.

"Clear you for what?" I asked fully well of what it was but just wanted to see if she would tell me, is she would say the words. I could feel my cock swelling with the sheer thought. She turned her head looking at me as if I had bumped my head and it was quite obvious what she was talking about. I played dumb and just remained silent looking at her.

"You know." She finally said and I moved my head slowly to the left and back letting her think I had no idea. She motioned with her hand repeating "You know….you know." She said again I moved my head to the right this time and back. I wondered if she would break down and say the words while my thoughts tortured my cock, it was so hard I could pound nails. It had been torture the past few days, hell week.

She rolled her eyes "you know strenuous activity." She said trying to jog my memory, I just smiled.

"You want to start working out in the gym?" I asked her my voice more serious than I thought I was capable of at the moment. Between the humor, in how she was acting in trying not to say the words, and my dicks response to my thoughts about her saying the words, I felt anything but pulled together and serious.

"No, but if I thought going to the gym would get me released I would go to the fucking gym." She huffed out and I couldn't help the laughter that left my lips. I got up from my chair making my way to her. I sat down on the coffee table facing her. I took her hand in mine brought it to my lips kissing it. Savoring how soft and supple her skin felt how small her hand was in mine.

**SPOV **

"Babe I want it too. More than you know. But if Bobby says your body isn't ready then it isn't ready, and we can wait. I don't want to risk injuring you just to make love to you." He said. I looked at him seeing him different than I had before. Was it possible to love him more? He put me first. He put me before sex, before my body. Had any guy ever dated done that for me? I couldn't remember a single one.

God I had to tell him. I had to tell him everything about me. Ever since my conversation with Lester I knew I would have to tell him and I knew it would need to tell him sooner rather than later. If I waited and then Carlos wasn't able to deal with it and didn't want to see me anymore it was going to be painful enough, the longer it went on the worse it would get.

"Carlos I have something I need to tell you. I don't want to do it here or now, but how about tonight after dinner when we are in the apartment alone." I said almost regretting the words as they came out, but I knew it was the right thing to do. He needed to know. The only way to keep what we were starting was complete honesty and no secrets, well at least none that weren't considered national security clearance secret.

He nodded once again kissing my hand. "Babe I have a couple of meetings this afternoon, hang out take a nap do whatever you would like. There may be some office things around you can do if you get bored it is up to you. Do whatever you want to do, feel free." He told me and I nodded thinking right now a little nap sounded like a good plan. Physical therapy had worn me out and I really needed to think about what I could do to get Bobby to release me.

I slowly became aware that someone was watching me. Before I opened my eyes I accessed my surroundings. I was still in Carlos' office, still on the couch. I opened my eyes to see Lester's green eyes smiling. "Beautiful, I wondered how long you were going to sleep." He said.

"What time is it?" I asked my voice heavy with sleep, I blinked a few times to clear the sleep trying to wake my brain up. It felt like I slept hard.

"It's a little before seventeen hundred." Lester said and I turned my head looking at him. My brain wasn't able to do the math right this minute, he should know that. Even when I am wide awake I have a tough time figuring out what time it is.

"It's a little before five. Beautiful, for military time you just subtract or add twelve after twelve p.m." He said and I just nodded. Hard to believe I had slept for three hours. I sat up.

"So why are you here staring at me?" I asked him, he smiled.

"I wasn't starring, I was just wondering how much longer you were going to sleep." He said avoiding the question.

"Probably a little longer, if you hadn't been starring at me." I confessed. He just shook his head.

"Beautiful, I was wondering if you wanted to go to some client meetings with me." He said and I looked at him my mouth hanging open slightly and I know my eyebrows, yes both of them, went up. Why the hell would he ask me that? Client meetings? What the hell did I know about client meetings?

"Lester, why would you ask me? I am not an employee here, I don't know anything about client meetings, what to say, what to do, how would I be of help?" I asked him. "Hell I don't think I would even have anything to wear." I stated.

"Relax, Beautiful, take a breath. You can learn right? Nothing wrong with that brain behind that beautiful face, is there? Far as being an employee here well if you wanted to be, you could be, we would carve out a job special for you. Rangeman is a successful company we can afford to bring on additional staff." He said.

"I can't just let you create a job for me and hire me because I need a job." I said and it was Lester's turn to look at me like I had three heads instead of one.

"Beautiful, I don't know what it is with you and your hang ups about accepting help, compliments, or true offers. But whatever it is, you need to allow someone to help you, accept a compliment, or genuine offers that are made without thinking they are made for reasons of someone feeling sorry for you." He said and I started to feel sort of offended.

"I don't..." I started saying to defend myself but he cut me off.

"Yes you do. Why is it that you think you don't deserve it or wouldn't have to earn it? I mean you would need to do your job, even being the boss' woman. You have a degree in business, something that could come in useful here. You have great instincts, which personally saved my life, again useful for the company. You have a way of making people feel comfortable in your presence, which would help greatly when it comes to meeting with clients especially women clients, or family oriented clients. I see you as being an asset to this company, why wouldn't you?" He said, hearing him put it like that I could see the reasons behind him offering.

I nodded my head. "Well hearing it like that, it makes sense for me to consider a job here. Lester, it isn't that I feel as though I don't deserve so much as it is I don't want to feel as though I took advantage, or someone was doing something for me out of obligation, or feeling sorry for me. You know." I tried to find additional words and was unable so I pulled one of my famous you know statements I tend to use when I am talking about my feelings and it turns too deep.

"Beautiful I would like to think you would know us, especially me, better by now. We don't do things because we are obligated, or out of some weird sense of have to, or feeling sorry for someone. What we do, what we say, what we offer is sincere and offered because it is something we want to do, want to say, or want to offer you. Sometimes to help you, sometimes just to see that blush. But it is done because we care, not because we feel sorry for you, or obligated, or even because you are the boss' woman." He said and I felt my eyes burn at hearing his statements.

"Thanks." I said not sure what to say hearing his words and he smiled.

"Finally you accept something and just say thanks. I didn't think I would see the day." He said smiling allowing the mood in the room to lighten a little from the heavier conversation we were having.

"Lester you said you wanted me to go with you to meet a client?" He nodded.

"Yeah it would be helpful. Most of the guys here hate meeting clients and we get more every day. It is getting to the point where I do very little of anything else." I could understand that. It wasn't like most of them were outgoing and liked to talk. I could even see where some people would be intimidated by the men. It made sense that Lester met most of the customers as he was the most talkative of the group and calling him talkative isn't really the right word.

"Well I guess I could shadow you until I learn enough about the company." I said shrugging my shoulders.

"So you agree to come to work here?" He asked and I looked at him.

"We will see, for now I shadow and learn, I am not an employee." I said, he looked at me weird but shrugged his shoulders.

"Boss man might see things differently but that will be between you two." He said. I nodded agreeing. Thinking after tonight I may not even be here for it to be an issue.

"Tomorrow then, Beautiful." He said standing up as he made his way out of the office. I just nodded lost in my thoughts about the conversation I was going to have to have with Carlos tonight. What had I gotten myself into? Could I do this? I needed to do it, but could I? I guess I was going to find out shortly because the door opened and Carlos stepped through.

He walked over towards me and I stood opening my arms as he pulled me closer to him.

"Hi." I said and he smiled.

"Babe." He said and I took that to mean hi, I missed you.

"Ready to go up stairs?" He asked and I just nodded my head. I was ready even though I was nervous as hell. This was it. Either he would still want me or he wouldn't but I needed to know. He needed to know.

We walked into the apartment and I turned toward the couch. I knew dinner was there and ready but I wasn't able to think about food. I needed to say what was on my mind, what was weighing heavy on my heart before I could think about eating anything.

My stomach was in twisted knots, no food was going down until I had said my peace.

"Carlos I need to tell you something." I said ringing my hands together and standing on my feet. I needed to move. I couldn't sit there and tell him like I thought. He looked at me his eyes accessing me and I could see concern, he knew this was something big he could tell by my actions.

I tried to tell myself to calm but the more I did that and prolonged the inevitable the more nervous I became my heart was racing, I could feel my body heating up, not in the good way, I rubbed my hands together and then on my clothing.

"There is something about me that I need to tell you. No one on the planet knows about me. Well maybe one but he is sworn to secrecy being that it is patient doctor confidentiality and the other person who knew she passed away several years ago." I told him. Feeling a little dumb for rambling but I won't lie I was struggling to find the right words to get everything out.

"You know about what happened with Joe at Tasty Pastry." He nodded. I nodded with him and took a deep breath to help gather my thoughts.

"Well what I have never told anyone, except for my grandmother, is what happened after wards." I said looking at him to see if he was following me.

"I was a virgin, I was fifteen. I wasn't planning or even thinking about having sex. I wasn't prepared for sex." I said trying to see if he would understand where I was going with this, but he was just looking at me. His eyes accessing me and I could see he was listening to me and his mind was processing what I was beating around the bush in trying to telling him.

Again I took another deep breath in through my nose, letting it out through my mouth I continued. "He didn't use any form of protection either. Because of what he did, and I allowed, I got pregnant that night. Of course I didn't know right away and I didn't tell anyone. It was bad enough what he wrote on the walls but I tried to deny it was me he was referring to. Of course most everyone knew it was me." I told him and I could see anger in his eyes.

"It was my grandmother that suspected it; she asked if I could stay with her for a little while that summer to help her. I later learned she did that to get me out of my mom and dad's house. I went to stay with her the first thing we did was drive to a doctor's office in Virginia. She gave them a fake name for me, said she was my guardian and signed for me to have an abortion. Of course, she asked me what I wanted and I told her I didn't want to have a baby. I was fifteen, it wasn't something I wanted when it happened, and well the last thing I needed was a baby in my life." I had diverted my eyes at some point during my confession so that I wasn't looking at him. The anger in his eyes was enough I couldn't bear to see disappointment, loathing, or hate. It also kept him from seeing the shame and embarrassment in mine.

I heard him take in a deep breath through his nose. I had stopped walking at some point, standing there my head turned away from him and diverted down my eyes looking towards the floor but not really focused on anything. I was ashamed. Good Catholic girls didn't do things like this. This wasn't something that we were even suppose to believe in let alone do but when I found out I felt desperate I felt violated and I felt overwhelmed and it felt like the only solution at the time.

I felt him step up behind me and I felt his arms wrap around me. He pulled me to him, my back to his chest. I felt his lips lightly kiss the skin on the side of my neck. His hold tightening slightly and then loosening but he didn't let go. Thank God.

"I am sorry Babe, I am sorry you had to go through that. I am glad you had your grandmother to help you." He said and I felt my eyes burn with tears that refused to be swallowed. It had been a long time ago, but yet it was so fresh, and the hurt tore through me. Carlos had been the first person I told. I thought that would be the worst part, telling. What I didn't realize were the feelings, emotions that would come forward in the telling. That was the worst part, allowing myself to feel it. All of these emotions had been bottled in my anger towards Joe. Now there wasn't anger for them to flow through it was just hurt.

He held me tighter and I turned in his arms facing him. I needed to see him, him holding me felt as though he wanted to comfort me, love me, and accept me for what I had done or possibly in spite of it but I needed to see his eyes.

My eyes met his eyes even through the tears that were running down mine I could see love. He gathered me closer "Oh Babe, don't cry." He said pulling me to him holding me tight against him. How come when someone tells you don't cry and holds you it only forces you to cry harder? Just that simple action on his part had me grasping at him tighter sobbing big tears onto his shirt.

I felt myself being lifted and carried and it was only when he laid me down on his bed and joined me did I realize where I was. My hold on him tightened.

"So you don't hate me? You don't despise me for what I did? Think I am a horrible, terrible person?" I asked him my voice sounding weaker than I wanted but I was in a weird place in my head. Between the feelings of how he would feel about me after hearing what I done, the bottled up feelings that literally came pouring out of me, and just my own feelings about myself and what I had done it was overwhelming.

He cupped my face in his hands and moved my head so that I had no option but look into his eyes. "Babe, I could never hate you, despise you, and I would never think you were a horrible or terrible person. You were in a situation that I can't even imagine and being so young. I don't blame you; you did what you felt like you had to do. I am glad you had your grandmother to help you and be there with you. I am sorry you were ever in the situation and just hearing you tell me makes me want to rip Morelli's head off of his shoulders." He said and I held him tighter to me. He didn't hate me.

"Carlos, I am so glad you don't hate me. I feared you would hate me and never want to see me again. That you wouldn't want me in your life after I told you the horrible thing I did." I confessed with fresh tears from my fear of losing him. He shook his head no.

"No, Babe, oh God, no. I want to hold you, comfort you, and I will always want you beside me. I have come to realize that in the time that we have been together. I want you here always. There is nothing you could tell me that would make me not want you. Babe, I love you." He said.

"Carlos I love you, I love you so much." I confessed to him, finding it incredibly easy to say to him. We had only been together a relative short time but my soul knew there was no one else I wanted. There was no one else that would be a better fit for me, it was as if he was made especially for me. I don't know how I got so lucky.

"Babe, before you say that, I should tell you some things about me." Carlos said. I felt calm even though in the past those words would have set me on alert. But I knew deep down inside there was nothing that he could tell me that would change my mind, or change how I felt about him.

**Let me know what you think…leave a review.**


	40. Chapter 39: Can You Love My Dark Side?

**Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! For those that have Private messages turned off that left Reviews thank you for the reviews! I love reading every one of them so keep them coming.**

**I want to Thank Margaret Fowler for encouraging this story out of me. When I mentioned it to you 6 – 7 months ago you didn't let it die in my head. You kept pressing for it so here it is finally being written! I hope it is everything you thought it would be.**

**Standard Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine. They belong to JE I just take them out of the box and play with them a little. I have begged to keep Ranger and Lester for myself but I have yet to get a response… **

**I want to let everyone know that there may not be a chapter on Friday. I am on vacation and spending more time away from my computer. I am going to try to write when I can but wanted to let everyone know ahead of time. **

**I hope you enjoy today's chapter!**

**Chapter 39: Can You Love My Dark Side?**

**RPOV**

"Babe, my life is complicated. My military career started ten years ago. I was almost twenty had two years of college behind me and well things in my life was a mess." I told her.

"When I was a child I was constantly in trouble, doing anything I could do to earn street credit. I joined a gang, ended up getting pinched stealing a car. My parent's stepped in and sent me to live with my grandparents in Miami." She was just looking at me listening to me her eyes engaged as she was taking every word I said in.

"I am not certain how good it was, as I just carried my bad boy nature with me. My grandmother beat the hell out of me or at least tried but I still managed to get in my fair of trouble. I did however, graduate High School with honors, and managed to stay out of jail as well as keep from getting my stupid ass killed on the streets of Miami." I confessed to her.

I saw fear race across her face at the thought of me being killed. I ran my finger down her cheek and jaw in an attempt to comfort her to let her know all was good.

"I went to college, Columbia." I told her.

"Trouble ended up finding me, I guess I was too close to my old gang and it was only a matter of time before they wanted me to start the gang at Columbia. I was stupid and did it, of course I ended up in trouble and the judge basically gave me two options. Jail or military, I chose the military. I think it was the first good decision I made." I told her.

"I started in the Army, I then joined the Rangers. There isn't much more other than that I can tell you about my military career. I met most of the guys that work here in the military. Many are Rangers like me others are from other arms of the military. Seals, Marine, Green Berets, Delta, Navy are just a few." I told her. I didn't bother naming who was who she would figure that out the more she got to know the guys.

"I was home on liberty after our first mission as a Ranger. I was in a bad place. The things we saw, we never expected. The things we did, expected even less. We were so wet behind the ears. I was drunk, I felt like I needed something so I found the first woman willing and had sex with her. She ended up pregnant. Of course I didn't know it until I had returned to the base." I felt her stiffen up and I rubbed her arm up and down letting her know it was okay.

"She decided to keep the baby, so I married her to give the baby and her access to my military benefits including part of my salary to help support her." I told her and I felt her freeze I ran my hand down her cheek and jaw kissing her head.

"Babe it was just what I said to give her my name, and benefits. Soon as she was born, we divorced. I never see my daughter. She will send me a picture here and there and I send her money for Julie but, that is the extent of my involvement. She doesn't even have my name any more as her mother married someone and he adopted her."

"So you gave up your rights to your daughter?" She asked and I nodded.

"You have to remember it wasn't something I wanted, or needed in my life. My life was dangerous, my life in the military was new, it was just after nine eleven and I was in some extremely dangerous places there were times when I didn't think I would make it out alive. She deserved a father that was there not someone that sent a check and could be sent home in a body bag. So I signed the papers, and still send support checks. I wouldn't have to as legally she is no longer mine but I have the money and well I didn't see the need to stop it." I told her.

I felt her shiver. I rubbed her again trying to comfort her. I knew it was the reaction to the body bag comment that caused the reaction. Once again I was trying to tell her all was well.

"When I left active duty I started running missions. The pay was good; the jobs were enough to keep me active, but also allowed me time to do other things like start Rangeman. My first office was in Miami, as each office became successful I used the money to grow the business. I opened an Office in Atlanta, Here in Trenton, Boston, and the newest office is in Nevada." I told her. I felt her shift as she looked up at me.

"Do you run them all?" She asked me. I shook my head no.

"I am the CEO of all of them. However each of the offices has a core team, just like here. My brother runs the Miami office, my cousin; Lester's brother, runs the Boston office. I offered it to Lester but he wanted to stay as a core team member here in Trenton with Bobby, Tank and I." I told her.

"Does family run all of the offices?" She asked me and I shook my head no.

"No, the other offices are run by men I trust completely. I sort of oversee everything and make the bigger business decisions for each office." I told her and she nodded.

"I can't tell you much about my life with the missions but there is one more thing I want to tell you, I can't tell you details but I need to tell you this. You remember in the hospital when you asked me why I was determined to help you." She nodded.

"You said because it was a way to right a wrong. That it felt like you were given the opportunity to help someone that you failed to help in the past." I nodded.

"Yeah, Babe, I did. But what I didn't tell you at the time is that the woman I failed to help I actually had to take her life. I tried to help but was refused the assistance I needed to help her. It was the reason I quit missions, actually on the very day I crashed into you. Because I wasn't able to help her, I did what I could do to help her. Unfortunately because of things I can't tell you and circumstances out of my hands the only option I had I took, I ended her life." I told her knowing she would have questions and also knowing I wouldn't be able to answer them but felt like she needed to know.

"I am sorry." I heard her say and I looked at her wondering why she would say that. It wasn't what I expected. I expected her to get up and tell me she never wanted me to touch her again. I felt her grip tighten on me.

Almost instinctively my arms tighten around her holding her to me.

"Why are you sorry, Babe?" I asked her.

"Carlos, you had to do something that you didn't want to do, you did it because you were forced. I can't imagine how hard it must have been to do what you did. I can't imagine how you must have felt. I am sorry you were in that situation." She said as she gripped me tighter holding me to her.

I am not sure how she knew I was forced. I never told her that. "Babe don't make the mistake of thinking I am better than I am. I am a killer. Make no mistakes about that." I told her warning her that I wasn't as good as she believed.

She shook her head. "No, you have killed people. Bad people, maybe some that weren't bad but were caught in a situation that you didn't have a choice, but it wasn't something you did for fun, it wasn't something you took enjoyment from." She said. Boy was she wrong.

"Babe, once again you are making me to be better than I deserve. I enjoyed my work, very much. In fact I was concerned when I walked out from my contract that I wouldn't be able to stay away. That I would go back because the call would be too great." I didn't say what the call was but it was the call for the kill, for blood, that lived within me. Had it not been for her, I am not sure I wouldn't have gone back.

Having her in my life had changed that; the monster within me no longer thirsted for blood or the kill. He was content with her in my arms, in my life. He now lived to protect her, and I couldn't do that half way around the world hunting down the bad guys. I was needed here; the monster within me was needed here.

"Carlos, I don't care what you say; if you are trying to change my mind it isn't changing. I know you. I know the man you are." She said her voice strong with the strength of her convictions to what she believed about me.

"Babe…" She cut me off.

"Don't Babe me; we haven't been together that long but, I know you. I know your heart that beats within you. I know your soul that lives behind those beautiful blackened eyes. I know your courage, your fierceness, how protective you can be, your loyalty, your sense of right and wrong. From all of that, I know the man you are. Just knowing the man you are tells me you are better than you give yourself credit, better than you allow yourself to see. You are the man of my dreams and I am never going to let you go regardless of anything you tell me." She said and I was floored.

"Carlos I will always be here, at least as long as you want me to be here." She said and I could hear the question in her voice.

"Babe I want you here forever." I confessed to her as I pressed her tighter against me.

Placing my hands on each side of her face I pulled her lips to mine. My lips pressed against hers and I could feel the shift within my body. I wanted her, I needed her. I pulled her up my body my lips never leaving hers. I swallowed her moan.

Hearing her moan just fueled my desire for her. This time she swallowed my moan as my grip tightened on her. I worked her clothing lowering her shorts, and pulling her shirt off of her. I unhooked her bra, and took her beautiful soft and perfectly pliable breast n my hands circling the tightened bud with my tongue I starvingly sucked the bud in my mouth.

I quickly shred my clothing. She was now lying on her back, only with her panties on she was beautiful and my dick yearned to be wrapped in her warm body, buried deep. But I was going to take my time, I was going to go slow, I was going to savor every drop her body had to give me.

I ran my hand down the side of her face trailing my fingers. Down her neck, following the dip in her collar bone with my finger tips pushing out to her shoulder then moving it back toward her neck. I let my finger drop down her chest, drop down through her cleavage. I ran my finger around one round globe only to trail it around the other.

Her eyes closed I could feel her body humming with my touch. I let my finger run lower, down her stomach, circling her belly button only dipping it slightly within and then trailing it down across her lower stomach until I was just at her mound. I let my finger go to the left trailing it down to the bottom of her mound then I crossed it, her hands fisted in the sheets. I ran my finger back up to where I had started.

I rose up on my knees lifted her leg and kissed the inside of her thigh letting my tongue lightly lick at her skin as I kissed her beautiful silky skin. I trailed my tongue down the inside of her thigh to her knee. I quickly switched legs starting at her knee trailing it up her thigh.

It was all I could do to raise from her and not take her with my mouth right at that moment but I wanted her first orgasm to come with me inside her. I rose up my body covering her body as my lips found her lips.

After I kissed her I told her "Babe, I plan on worshipping your body all night long but I need to feel you, I need to feel myself buried inside you, I need to feel you pulsating around me pulling me deep within you. I need to feel you come with me buried inside you." I told her as I started to enter her wet, hot, and extremely tight center.

I moaned, closed my eyes tight fighting for all I had to control the need to just release inside her tight and incredibly inviting center. I paused letting her adjust to my size. I could feel my dick stretching her; just that feeling had my eyes rolling back in my head. Pure ecstasy.

God it felt like I had finally found home. I held my weight up off her, careful of her ribs. They had been healing but I knew making love to her risked hurting her ribs and I knew that is why Bobby hadn't released her. He didn't want the pressure of me making love to her to cause any issues with her ribs.

I quickly reversed us and placed her on top of me. She moaned at the movement and I felt her sink deeper down on my cock as I pushed her body down tighter on me. I groaned at the feeling. I pulled her leg in front of her so there would be no pressure on her leg or foot.

I rose up off of the bed and gathered her in my arms. Moving her body against mine as my lips met hers. This position had us so close face to face me buried deep within her. Our eyes met and I once again felt the shift within, damn I loved this woman. I never wanted to be anywhere but beside her, buried deep within her.

My hands landed on her hips my fingers curving around the round cheeks of her perfect ass. I tightened my grip on her enough to move her but not tight enough to hurt her. I began guiding her back and forth, up and down on me. She moaned a deep moan "Oh Carlos…" she said and the sound of my name on her lips while I was buried deep within her affected me on a level I wasn't sure was possible until I experienced it.

I quickened the pace "yes…oh please…Carlos" I heard her say. I couldn't help but smile, knowing how affected she was. Her hands were holding me on my shoulders her fingers curved into me to the point that her nails were biting into my skin.

My lips attacking wherever they could reach as I continued to move her on me. I knew I was increasing our movements her body was mine she had given me the power. She was so wet I could feel her juices running down my cock onto my balls. The warm trail it left sent shivers through me. I could feel my balls pulling and tightening, but I was holding back because I wanted to feel more.

"Babe, what you are doing to me. I love you." I told her my eyes locked on hers. She smiled.

"I love you too." She managed to get out before a loud moan slash groan I could feel her walls tightening around me starting to milk me and I knew she was close. I knew there would be no holding her back, not that I wanted to hold her back. I wanted her to fly. I wanted her to fly to pieces in my arms, while I was buried deep within her.

I increased the speed and I heard her scream as her walls tightened down on me so tight I thought I wasn't going to be able to move within her. I pumped a few more times letting her ride out her orgasm until I couldn't take it anymore and I allowed my release screaming her name.

She fell against my chest and I held her to me. Her body felt boneless and I just smiled. This was only the tip of how I could make her feel. "Oh my Carlos, that was incredible." She said and I nodded against her.

"Yes it was incredible but it will get even better once Bobby releases you." I told her.

She looked up at me. "Speaking of released, if Bobby figures out we did this, you are dealing with him. Not me." She said and I couldn't help but laugh.

"I am serious. He is going to be pissed. I was just fighting with him today about it. I am not going to explain I went behind his back and had sex without being released. Uh huh not happening. This is your fault and I will tell him that. No one would ever blame me for my moment of weakness." She said, and I wanted to laugh at her rationalization.

"Okay I will talk to him. He should have released you before now anyway, your physical therapy is more strenuous. I think he is just making a point. I will set him straight. Don't worry. Besides if he is going to be pissed at someone it won't be you. It will be me." I told her and she looked at me.

"Look the guys, more than likely, will never be pissed at you. They like you too much, but he will blame me, he knew I had the control or at least he thinks I did. When it comes to you I am not certain I have any control over my body." I confessed to her, and she smiled.

I felt myself harden while I was still inside her and her slight movement against me told me she knew it too. It was time for round two. If Bobby was going to be pissed at me, I might as well make it worth the while.

**LPOV**

"You sure you don't want Tank or I to go with you to watch your back?" I asked Ranger he shook his head.

"No, I need to know she is safe. Right now we don't know what Michaels has done. He could have sent one or he could have sent a dozen. I don't think he has sent but one but we all know he has the resources to send as many as wants. Until I get him to call it off, I need to know she is protected." He said. I didn't like it but I understood it.

"Man there are plenty of us who can protect her, you need someone watching your back." I told him and he shook his head.

"I have a plan that will work, he went after what is mine, I am going to show him how vulnerable his are." Damn Ranger was serious. He was going to show Michaels how easy it would be to strike him where it would hurt; his family. I knew him well enough to know that he wouldn't actually target his wife or family but I also knew him well enough that if you pushed him he was capable of anything and very much able.

I just hoped Michaels heeded the warning and gave Ranger what he wanted.

"I am going to be gone two days. I want to wrap this shit up as quickly as possible. Hopefully she won't ask to go anywhere during that time but if she does, you allow it, but you keep her safe. She is the top priority do you understand?" Ranger asked me and I nodded.

"Man she is safe, we will keep her safe. I promise you." I told him and he nodded. I knew he trusted me to keep her safe, and I also knew that I didn't make promises lightly.

"Oh and Lester, if I hear you kissed her again, be with an apology or not, for good or any other reason, you will be a dead man. So keep your lips and your fucking body parts to yourself." He told me and I swallowed hard and nodded. I thought I had dodged the bullet on that one since he hadn't said anything guess I should have known better. At least it was a warning and not a bullet so I guess it was better than it could have been.

I didn't bother telling him that I had a good reason, or about the woman that had put her down it was clear he knew the reasons why I had done what I had done. Did I have another option probably but at the time I couldn't think of a better option and went with the one I had. He was clearly telling me find another way if there were ever to be a next time.

"Keep her safe." He said repeating himself to make me fully aware of what that meant to him. I nodded. He turned and left going back up to his apartment.

**Let me know what you think…Leave a review!**


	41. Chapter 40: Have I been here before?

**Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! For those that have Private messages turned off that left Reviews thank you for the reviews! I love reading every one of them so keep them coming.**

**I want to Thank Margaret Fowler for encouraging this story out of me. When I mentioned it to you 6 – 7 months ago you didn't let it die in my head. You kept pressing for it so here it is finally being written! I hope it is everything you thought it would be.**

**Standard Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine. They belong to JE I just take them out of the box and play with them a little. I have begged to keep Ranger and Lester for myself but I have yet to get a response… **

**My mini vacation was good. I spent a lot of time with my niece, nephew and sister. We went to Luray Caverns, then the Zoo in Richmond, and then just spent time with Zoe, my niece, at my home. It was a lot of fun but the story did suffer…I didn't make Friday's update and today's was late. But here it is…**

**I hope you enjoy today's chapter!**

**Chapter 40: Have I been here before?**

**BPOV**

"Damn it Ranger. I haven't cleared her for a reason." I yelled at him. He raised his eyebrow at me. I knew he was responding to my yelling at him, questioning him, but at the moment I didn't give a fuck.

"Brown, you want to check that tone?" He asked me and I shook my head no.

"No, you knew she wasn't cleared for sex. Yet you went against it and you could have hurt her." I told him. He looked at me, I saw a little bit of guilt in his eyes. Good Fucker should feel guilty.

"Bobby I am not an idiot I didn't hurt her. I was gentler with her than you are in the gym during her PT. I know you have just been withholding from releasing her for sex because you have been pissed at me." He said and I shook my head no.

"Man I don't care when, where you fuck or how you fuck, but I didn't want her recovery to suffer because you couldn't control your dick." I told him, allowing my anger to take over.

"Fuck you." He said, stalking towards the mats, with me quickly following behind him. We would settle this, on the mats.

"Brown you can say what you want to me. You can even attempt to beat my ass for it. But if you say one fucking word to Stephanie to make her feel subconscious, or make her feel uncertain about what happened between us you will find yourself back on the mat without me pulling punches, are we clear." He told me and I quickly nodded. I wouldn't make her feel bad but I would make her work harder during her physical therapy session.

"You know I wasn't keeping you two from having sex because it gave me some kind of pleasure. I was doing it to make sure her recovery is a hundred percent. You know her ribs are the most vulnerable. You should have refrained." I told him and threw a punch that he quickly blocked.

He threw a punch I blocked and attacked.

I knew I wouldn't win against Ranger but it wasn't really about winning it was more working through my frustration. It was how we settled things between us.

"Bobby, I am not some animal I know where to be gentle with her. I am not going to hurt her." He said and I nodded knowing he would never mean to hurt her.

"I know you aren't going to mean to hurt her but I also know how in some circumstances you may forget about certain things and you could hurt her during those times. It wouldn't be on purpose, but it could happen regardless." I told him, defending my stance for not having released her.

He threw a punch which connected so it was good he was pulling the punches or I would probably have been down for the count. I attacked back but he successfully blocked my attack.

"Remember what I told you, you aren't to say anything to Stephanie." He reiterated and I nodded.

I continued to defend and attack on the mat until we had both had enough. I threw one final punch. "Fine I will release her." I said and he straightened from his fighting stance and dropped his arms he had what he wanted, so he nodded, turned and walked away. Fucker.

**RPOV**

"Tank, damn it I need you to stay here and watch over things here. I need to know she is protected. I can handle Michaels on my own." I told him.

"Can you? You seem as though you are allowing your emotions to drive you, instead of your head. Maybe it is the little head that is driving things as you took Bobby to the mats because you wanted him to release her for sex. I am not sure you can handle anything right now." He told me, fucker.

"Fuck you Tank, I am in control." I told him.

"Yeah, a man in control wouldn't have to tell me he is in control; he would prove he was in control." I stared at him. What the fuck.

"What the fuck do you want, Tank? He sent someone after her. You know unless I stop him he will just continue to send someone until they are successful. We can protect her, yes, but there is always that thing we can't control, we can't predict and she will either get hurt really bad, or be killed. I can't allow that. I have to make Michaels back down or I'll have to kill him." I tell him and he nods not denying what I was saying was the truth.

"Yes, but you need to get your head in the game, and keep your emotions out of it. If not, you won't be successful. The only thing you will succeed in is getting you both dead." He said and I looked at him. I knew emotions made things risky and I was emotionally attached to this one.

"That is why you need to take backup, preferably me but at least one of the guys." He said and I shook my head no.

"This has to be done by me and me alone. You, Lester, Cal, and Hector need to protect Stephanie. Bobby is needed here in case she gets hurt. Besides if my plan is successful, we should all walk away. You know he has no skills. He won't consider my form of attack because he thinks is he is autonomous that I don't know where he lives, or who he is. Two days top I will be back." I tell him.

"You just make sure she stays safe in those two days." I warn him.

"You haven't seen my emotions involved, but you will if I return and something has happened to her." My voice was dripping with the threat and warning to him. I wouldn't hesitate to take my anger out on all of them if they fuck this up.

"Man you better have your head on straight and know what the fuck you are doing." He said and I nodded and made my way out of his office slamming his door shut behind me.

I walked up to my apartment, our apartment; I liked the way that sounded.

Walking in I went to our bedroom and crawled in beside her gathering her in my arms I felt her sigh against me. I hated leaving her but it was the only way to protect her and to call off Michaels' lackeys.

"Babe, wake up." I whispered in her ear while I caressed her ear, and neck breathing in her smell. I ran my hands down her body and back up. I wanted to wake her up other ways but I needed to get on the road if I was going to get this done. "Babe" I whispered again only slightly louder than the first time and she started to move.

Stretching her eyes opened and met mine I smiled at the smile on her face.

"Morning." She said.

I smiled even larger. "Morning, Babe."

"Babe, I need to leave. I need to go take care of something. I will be gone two days maximum. The guys here will watch over you. Just because I am gone don't assume you are safe. Wait until you hear from me. I will call and let you know. If you need or want to go out ask Lester or Cal to go with you. Tank will go as well. Please keep one of them with you." I told her and she nodded. Listening to what I was saying I watched her eyes going from sleepy to fully awake.

"Lester said something about me going with him to client meetings. Is that okay with you?" She asked me and I smiled nodding.

"Babe, I am more than okay with it; that would make me very happy." I told her, she smiled.

I ran my hands over her body remembering the feel of her in my arms and I closed my eyes wishing that I could feel her again that way now. I pulled away from her knowing that I needed to refrain if I was going to leave.

"Babe I will be back in two days. If you need me you know how to reach me." I told her meeting her lips with mine as I kissed her.

"Be careful Carlos." She said and I nodded as my heart swelled hearing her sentiment for me to be careful. I had never had anyone send me off on a mission before. Even though this wasn't a mission that would be dangerous or take me out of the states it was one of the most important missions I had or would ever be on. It was definitely the closest to me heart, and it was one that I couldn't fail. Too much rode on my succeeding. My Babe had to be safe.

I smiled at her. "Stay safe Babe." I told her as I stood up and made my way out of the bedroom and apartment.

Hawk was right on time; I stepped out on the roof as Hawk sat down the helicopter. He would take me to Virginia where Michaels lived. I climbed into the helicopter buckled myself in and then signaled for him to lift off.

**LPOV**

Ranger just left to take care of his fucking handler. He left us to take care of Beautiful. I had asked her to go with me on client meetings. She had agreed so I thought to keep her occupied why Ranger was away we could get started.

I pulled out the file for today's clients looking it over. I hoped she would come down soon or I would have to go up and get her. I just hoped she wasn't up there crying in her pillow because Ranger had left. I hated when I had to deal with crying women.

I had no more thought about her being up on seven crying when there was a knock on my door.

"Enter"

The door opened and her head popped into the opening; I smiled.

"Hey, Beautiful." I said.

"Lester, how are you?"

"Good, you?"

"I am okay. I am ready to get started. I talked to Carlos this morning and he is okay with me going with you on client meetings." She said. I smiled at the news, even though I knew he would be pleased.

"Did you tell him that you were going to do it without pay?" I asked smiling and she shook her head no.

"No, I just asked him if he it was okay, and he said he was okay with it." She said and I nodded, dropping the conversation about her being paid.

"Well today we have a meeting with Mitchell and Saunders." I told her smiling, wondering if she would remember the company and the partner.

"That sounds familiar, why does it sound familiar?" She asked almost as if she was talking to herself. I was hoping she would remember.

"Well it is a small accounting firm. Two partners Mr. Mitchell, and Mr. Saunders." I said saying the name again.

"What is it they want?" She asked, I handed her the file. We were going to have fun with this client. I had no intention of taking the account even if they were a million dollar account I wouldn't accept it. It was pretty clear when I was there that day in the office with Mr. Saunders that he had done something to Beautiful and now I was giving her the opportunity to get some revenge.

Mitchell had negotiated with us and set up the meeting with us so Saunders had no idea who was going to walk through the door. I know I should have said something more to her but this was going to be too much fun watching Saunders face. I had already caused him to piss himself when I was in his office. Now that he would be dealing with both Stephanie and I it would be even more fun.

She opened the file. I watched her looking over the file. She would look up at me every now and then as if she was going to say something and then look back at the file.

"Lester, I don't know anything about this, but it looks like they want a basic security system. Why are we meeting with them for something so basic?" She asked me and I smiled.

"Well one, they asked us to meet with them and discuss the options we have, and two never assume a customer actually knows what they need. In fact, most don't know what they want, or need. Everyone wants the cheapest solution possible. Don't get me wrong, we are price conscious but to us it is more important for our customers to understand their needs rather than the price." I told her.

There was a third reason we were meeting with this customer but I wasn't going to tell her that or she would possibly back off and not go. I know it was sort of underhanded but I wanted to see if she would remember anything if she saw the man. If she did I wanted her to confront him.

"Well I will just listen to you, and learn the ropes." She said and I smiled.

"Beautiful, if you have something you want to say or feel the need to say something I want you to speak up. If you don't feel like they are a customer that Rangeman should have I want you to tell me. If you feel like they need something that I don't discuss then I want you to offer it." I told her and she looked at me like a deer caught in headlights.

"Lester, why would you say if they are customer Rangeman shouldn't have? Is there some protocol that customers should meet before they can be customers of Rangeman?" She asked me and I shook my head no.

"No, not usually but we do like to think that they will pay their bill. We like to know that the business is financially sound enough to pay the bill on time. That is about the only one. But in the case of this one, there may be other reasons that we won't want them as a customer. We will just have to see when we get there and further access the business and partners." I told her.

She looked at me I could see questions flying across her face but she only nodded and went back to reading the file. We had background checks for Mitchell, Saunders, and everyone working in the firm. We had the firm's financial standings. We had the business basic security requests as well as our recommendations on what they should have. Our meeting was in an hour.

"Anymore questions? Our meeting is in an hour we will leave here in thirty." I told her and she nodded.

"There is something about the name I can't place." She said.

"I think you applied for a job there the day you had your accident." I told her and she looked at me.

"At least it was one of the businesses you had circled on the want ads you had with you." I further told her. She shrugged her shoulders.

"I guess that is possible. I still don't really remember anything that happened that day." She said. I wasn't surprised but I was hoping this would at least jar her memory and we could have a little fun with Mr. Saunders while Beautiful exacted a little revenge of her own.

"Oh Beautiful, don't forget to dress for the meeting." I told her and she looked at me her eyebrows knitting together.

"Lester, what I have on is that not good enough? I mean Ella got this outfit. I don't have a whole lot of clothes. Just what she has gotten for me and then I have to be able to work them around the cast and my walking boot. Maybe I should wait and not go to client meetings until I am out of the casts and can buy something else." She said and I shook my head smiling.

"Beautiful you look great. You are dressed just fine, I mean look at what I am wearing." I stood up showing my black t-shirt and cargo pants. It wasn't what I normally wore to client meetings but today it was good. I wanted to intimidate not acquire a new customer.

"You normally wear a suit." She stated and I nodded.

"Typically I do but today well I have other matters to deal with after the meeting and won't have time to change." I told her

"Well you sure you want me tagging along?" She asked and I nodded.

"Yes, I want you there. When I said I want you dressed I meant I wanted you to carry a weapon. Go see Ram." She interrupted me.

"You mean Gucci." She said smiling and I couldn't help but return the smile and nod.

"Yeah Gucci, go see him and he will outfit you with the proper gun. He has been working with you, right?" She shook her head.

"Yeah he has been teaching me how to shoot and how to handle a gun, if that is what you mean." I nodded my head. She turned and walked out of my office in search of Ram, Gucci. I had to laugh at her nickname for him.

**SPOV**

"Gucci, Lester sent me to see you. He wants you to outfit me with a gun. I am going with him on client meetings today and he said he wants me dressed." I told Ram when I walked into his cubicle. He turned and smiled at me.

"So you are really going to continue to call me that?" He asked smiling at me and I nodded. I thought it was cute.

"Yep, and if I can find a rhinestone collar big enough I am going to buy it for you too." I told him smiling. He just shook his head.

"Well I guess it is good I have a big neck." He said and I nodded so far his neck size had allowed him to be lucky as I hadn't been able to find a collar big enough, but I wasn't done looking. I would eventually find it, if one existed.

He stood up motioning for me to go out to the hallway. We made our away to the first floor where the weapons room was located. He unlocked a cabinet and it was full of different size hand guns. He selected three out of the cabinet and then proceeded to have me test them.

Once he had decided the best one for me, which happened to be the same as the one I had been training with, he had me load it and then proceeded to get a holster that fit on my side.

"You will need to add a belt and hook this into the belt." Ram said.

"I have one on seven, I can go get it." I told him and he nodded. We made our way up to the apartment where I grabbed a belt from the closet.

"Here this is the one I have." I said as I handed him the belt.

"You need to tell me which side you would like to carry your gun on. Typically it is the side that is your dominant hand so when you grab it you are ready. In your case that would be the right side as you shoot with your right hand." He said and I nodded.

He handed the belt back and I started threading it through the belt loops on the pants I was wearing. When I got to the right side he stopped me between the next to the loop and threaded the holster on to the belt.

"How does that feel?" He asked me after I had finished threading the belt through the final loop and buckled it. It felt heavy, it felt awkward, it felt like I had an appendage growing from my side and I wondered if I would be able to sit down without it poking me in the leg. However, I didn't voice any of the complaints.

"The safety is on right?" I questioned him. He nodded.

"Yes, the gun is a Glock it doesn't have a safety as most traditional guns. It doesn't have a safety you engage and disengage. Glocks have a built in safety with the trigger meaning when you pull the trigger you actually release the safety at the same time. The important thing to remember is when you reach for your gun don't put your finger on the trigger as you could fire it by accident." He said to me and I nodded swallowing, thinking would I actually do that.

We made our way back down to the fifth floor and I went in search of Lester. I knew it was really close if not past the time to be on our way to the client's office.

"Lester, are you ready? I am now dressed" I told him showing him my gun. I wasn't comfortable with having it. I really hoped I never had to use it but I also knew that it was important to the men that I have it. It was important to Carlos that I carry it. So I was doing my best to carry it, pretending that I was comfortable with it, and trying hard not complain about it too much, at least not to them.

He nodded and we headed out of the office. When we got in the car I knew the gun was going to be a problem as it was stabbing me in the leg. I shifted it a little but the way the belt loops were it wouldn't allow me to push it far enough to my side that it wasn't stabbing me in the leg.

"Something wrong Beautiful?" Lester asked me after I had been fiddling with the gun for the past five minutes.

"No…Okay…Yes." I said seeing the look on his face when I originally said no. "This gun is poking me and I can't move it far enough over to keep it from poking me." I finally told him. He nodded.

"When we stop we will fix it." He told me and I smiled at him it would be nice to not having it stabbing me in the leg the whole time of the meeting. It was only a few more minutes before we were pulling up in the small parking lot behind the building. The building looked familiar. I had been there before. Remembering what Lester told me about having been there looking for a job must have been true. I must have gone there in search of a job.

We got out of the car and Lester helped me adjust the gun on the belt after undoing the belt. "There you go Beautiful see how it feels now." He said motioning to the seat in the car I sat down and nodded it felt much better. It still felt like I had an appendage growing from my side but at least it wasn't poking me in the leg.

I nodded "that feels much better, thanks." I told him.

"Beautiful, thank you. I know you aren't comfortable wearing a gun, but you are wearing it and that is important to us. So thank you." He said and I nodded not really knowing what else to say. We made our way to the front of the building walking in I knew I had been there before. I looked at Lester as things started to come back.

"I have been here before." I told him and he nodded. Looking at the receptionist I remembered having seen her. Lester introduced us and she pointed us to toward the conference room. Walking into the conference room, I knew I hadn't been in that room. It was an okay conference room but nothing as comfortable as the one at Rangeman. It had medium priced furniture; the chairs weren't really inviting or comfortable. It was more along the lines of doing just the minimum to get by and calling it a conference room. I wondered what kind of clients they actually met with in the room as it was less than impressive.

We weren't in the room but a minute, when the door opened and Mitchell and Saunders walked in looking at the men I had never met Mitchell but I instantly knew I knew Saunders. His eyes widened when he looked at me. It was clear he knew me too.

I looked at Lester and I knew my eyes were wide and even a little wild. I felt panic raise up in me as we stood. Mitchell and Saunders both were offering their hands to us to shake. I felt rooted to the spot as images of those fat fingers on me came crashing into me. The bruising hold he had on me. Looking at Saunders I see fear in his eyes as beads of sweat break out across his chubby forehead.

I step back putting Lester between us. I keep my hands down to my side. I have the urge to grab Lester to hold him in front of me to block me from his outstretched hand, but I refrain. I whisper hoping only Lester can hear me.

"Lester, I want to leave." I say my voice breaking with fear.

He turns to me. "Excuse me a minute." He tells them as he escorts me out to the hall way.

"Beautiful, tell me what's going in that beautiful head of yours." He says and I shake my head no.

"No, I just want to leave." I started to move towards the front only for him to grab me by the arm.

"No, Beautiful talk to me first." He says.

"I know him, I remember. I came here looking for a job. I spoke to Saunders and he tried to force me to have sex with him. He grabbed me bruising my arms. He even grabbed my hand and forced me to touch him." I told him turning my head away from him.

"I thought so; I had that feeling about him when I was here asking questions about you." He said and I froze. He knew and he had brought me here blindly. I felt hurt, I felt betrayed.

"Lester I need to leave." I said my voice sounding harsher with hurt laced in.

"Beautiful I didn't say anything because I wanted you to remember on your own. I also didn't say anything because now is your turn to stand up and take back what he tried to take from you. I have your back. I don't want their business. Rangeman would never sign with them not after what they did to you, but you now have the opportunity to stand up for yourself and know you have back up." He said and I paused a moment my hurt ebbing slightly.

"It's up to you. I will walk back in there and tell them we are leaving if you want or we can go in there together and you can give them a piece of your mind. It's completely up to you Beautiful. You just tell me." He said.

I stood there, part of me wanted to run away, part of me wanted to go back in the conference room and face the man that had taken advantage, and yet another part of me felt like it was rooted where I stood still feeling hurt.

I looked at Lester he nodded answering the question that was on my mind by saying "Always Beautiful. I will always have your back. You can count on that, no matter what, I will always be there, I promise." He said I nodded believing the promise in his statement.

I had made my mind up. I nodded at him; he smiled at me, as we turned to walk back into the conference room. This was going to be one Rangeman meeting they wouldn't soon forget. I really hoped he was telling the truth when he said they didn't want them as customers. Something told me this would be one client we wouldn't be signing with us after we were done.

**Let me know what you think…Leave a review.**


	42. Chapter 41: Paybacks are a Bitch

**Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! For those that have Private messages turned off that left Reviews thank you for the reviews! I love reading every one of them so keep them coming.**

**I want to Thank Margaret Fowler for encouraging this story out of me. When I mentioned it to you 6 – 7 months ago you didn't let it die in my head. You kept pressing for it so here it is finally being written! I hope it is everything you thought it would be.**

**Standard Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine. They belong to JE I just take them out of the box and play with them a little. I have begged to keep Ranger and Lester for myself but I have yet to get a response… **

**Chapter 41: Paybacks are a Bitch**

**SPOV**

I nodded to Lester and we walked back into the room. He was right on my heels. My feelings were still a little hurt, he hadn't given me a heads up but I would deal with that later. Right now I needed to focus on Mr. Saunders.

Seeing him, images of what had happened between us started flashing through my mind. Part of me wanted to hurl, part of me was scared feeling how I had felt when I was standing in that room with him, the other part of me wanted to kick his ass. I looked back at Lester one final time and he nodded as if reading my mind.

I nodded and I turned to both men sitting at the table at this point.

"Hi, my name is Stephanie." I said focusing on Saunders. I smiled and I felt the anger rise up in me. I was ready.

"Mr. Mitchell I understand that you contracted with Rangeman for a security system." I started and Mr. Mitchell nodded his head. I looked to Lester one more time for courage. I was about to give Rangeman I bad name and I wasn't sure Carlos would be so happy about me doing this under his name.

Lester's lips twitched his face blank and hard. Had I not been use to the emotionless face I wouldn't have known I had permission to proceed. I closed my eyes for a second sent up a prior that Carlos wouldn't want to kick my ass out when he heard what I was about to do.

I opened my eyes. "Mr. Mitchell, I am sorry to tell you that Rangeman will not be able to offer you a security system. I need to speak to Mr. Saunders, but before you leave you need to know that your partner is a pig. He takes advantage of women; he uses his status to get the women in this office to perform particular favors." I told him.

Mitchell looked over at Saunders and Saunders didn't even have the gall to look embarrassed he only shrugged his shoulders.

I looked at Saunders. My anger grew within in me when neither man had the decency to say anything, or apologize for Saunders behavior. I was going to dismiss Mitchell but since he seemed to have decided he had nothing to say then I figured he was no better than Saunders.

"Why do you think you are someone that a woman would want? You are disgusting to look at. No one wants your fat fingers on their body. No one wants your advances. Can you even find your dick under that hangover?" I asked him.

I stood and leaned forward. "You try to intimidate women to get them to do what you want, you use your position of power within the firm and you take advantage of women who think are weaker. How about I make you do what I want?" I asked them taking the gun off of my hip and sitting it beside me on the table. I saw the sweat bead up on his sweaty head.

Mitchel stood up "you need to leave" he said trying to assert his authority now. I looked at him my eyes narrowed on him.

"It seems as though you are perfectly capable of speaking up now. So I take it you approve of your partner's behavior, hell for all know maybe you are no different." I told him.

"You need to leave before we call the police." I smiled at them. I motioned to the phone.

"If you want me to file harassment charges against you, go ahead and call them. You forget that I was one of the women that Mr. Saunders here took advantage of. He grabbed my arms, bruised them, he grabbed my hip leaving bruises there, and he took my hand and forced me to touch him. All of that is assault, harassment. I have the right to file charges. So be my guest and call the police. I think that is a pretty good idea, in fact I was at the hospital only hours later and they documented each bruise he left on my body." I told him causing Mr. Mitchell to sit back down relenting to me.

I smiled. I looked back at Lester and his eyes were dancing with amusement though his face seemed hardened and I knew him having my back was giving me the strength to stand up to these two men and it felt good; really good.

I put my hand back on the gun on the table. "Now are you going to do what I say?" I asked them. They nodded. Saunders just had sweet rolling down his broad fat forehead. His eyes large and I smiled at them. "Stand up." I told them.

They nodded and both stood up. I nodded happy they were doing as I asked. "Now take it off." I motioned to them. They looked at me their eyes bugging out then looked at each other and back at me. I nodded answering their unspoken question as I placed my hand once again on the gun letting them know it was there.

They looked at each other again. I thought I would give them a little more encouragement. "I don't have all day gentlemen my patience is running out. I would suggest you start moving more than your heads back and forth looking at me and each other." I told them. They nodded both sweating at this point. They started pulling at their ties unbuttoning their shirts.

I felt the urge to look away but I forced myself to keep my eyes on them. "Hurry up boys. All of it." I said as I tapped the gun on the table.

They stood before me with their boxers and socks on looking dumbfounded. I looked back at Lester. "I believe I told them to take off everything. Did I stutter?" I asked him and he shook his head no but remained silent.

I picked up the gun careful not to put my finger on the trigger. "I meant it, take it all off." I motioned with the gun toward their boxers. They nodded pulling their socks off and then dropping their boxers. I suppressed the desire to laugh at what I was seeing.

"Good you can follow directions. Now I want you Mr Saunders to stand behind the chair and bend over put your hands on one of the arms." The chairs were cheap the arms were a metal piece that connected the back of the chair to the seat. I picked up one of their ties and tied his hands to the chair.

I then looked at Mitchel. "Mr. Mitchel I want you to scoot right up behind Mr Saunders. Be sure to hug him real tight, I want bodies touching no light in between." I flashed the gun and Mitchel nodded stepping up behind him. I grabbed the other tie. I tied it around his hands pulling it tight making sure his hands were tightly tied around the round belly of Saunders.

I then pulled his hands down until they were just below his round belly. "Go ahead and grab a handful." I encouraged him. Once he had grabbed him I keep him from being able to pull away as I tied the end of the tie to the chair pulling it tight.

"Next time you decide to take advantage of a woman you remember this." I pulled out my cell phone snapped a couple of pictures from different angles making sure I got the angle that looked like they were engaged with each other.

"I think facebook, and the internet will be a good place to start." I hit the photo button and slide the bar from picture to video; now for the fun part.

"I need you to make some noise. Some joyful noises show me how happy you are to feel each other add some happy movement in there as well." I tell them waving the gun again while I held the phone in front of them. Once they started making noises I hit the record. When I had seen all I cared to stomach I stopped the recording and then turned to Lester.

"I think I am done." I said to him and he nodded smiling slightly.

I turned back to the men in front of me. "If any of this gets out about Rangeman being involved, all of this will hit youtube and I will make sure it goes viral. Do you understand me?" I said and they both nodded.

"If you contact the police I will also release the video and pictures. Oh and guys I changed my mind you will purchase a security system from Rangeman, including cameras in both of your offices and any common areas of the building if I hear a report of another woman being taken advantage of I will be back and the video and pictures will be made public. Someone will be by to discuss the system we will put in for you along with the pricing, you are to agree to whatever the design and pricing are. Do I make myself clear?" I waved my gun, they both nodded.

"Now we are leaving but I am going to tell the receptionist that you two are in discussion and not to bother you, so you two have plenty of time to enjoy each other; have fun." I said as we turned and made our way out of the door.

I walked up to the receptionist. "Hi. Mr Mitchell and Saunders are currently discussing our negotiations but they want to meet with everyone in the building in ten minutes." I told her. She nodded.

"Thank you." She said and I nodded.

"Have a good day." I said smiling as we walked out the front door.

We had no more cleared the door when Lester grabbed me hugging me to him and laughing.

"Beautiful please don't ever get pissed at me. That was priceless." He said and I looked at him.

"Lester, I am already pissed at you. You let me walk in there unprepared. You didn't tell me." I said feeling more hurt than I realized I still felt. It had felt good to get them back but it still hurt that Lester hadn't told me, hadn't warned me. I felt as though I had been thrown under the bus.

"Beautiful you needed to remember on your own. If I had told you, you would wonder if it was something I told you or something you remembered. You wouldn't have been able to do what you did because you wouldn't have been sure of what really happened and your feelings. You needed to remember what happened that day on your own." He said and I could see the truth in his confession.

"I am sorry if I hurt you Beautiful but I thought it was for the best, for you. I thought you would be able to get your revenge your way and I got to say Beautiful I never saw that coming. I thought maybe you would beat their ass or threaten them with something but what you did in there was pure brilliance and completely priceless. The guys are going to be pissed they missed it, that is what Rangeman legends are born from. You not only paid them back, embarrassed the hell out them, managed to get footage to hold over their heads, but you also landed a customer. I'd say that was a great first day, Beautiful." He told me and I couldn't help but feel my chest puff up from his words of encouragement and the sounds of pride in his voice.

"Lester you did the right thing. If you had told me I wouldn't have come. I would have chickened out I wouldn't have faced him." I confessed to him.

"I am not sure I would have remembered everything just on my own. However, I now know my dream was something that happened and not something I just dreamt." I told him and he nodded. I felt better walking out of the building. I felt strong, I felt empowered, and I felt as though I was flying on a high my body radiating excitement.

I wanted to run to Carlos and tell him what I had done and how great I was feeling but I couldn't, the knowledge of that saddened me a little bit. I had no doubt when he returned he would hear all about it but I wanted to be the one to tell him.

I almost called him, I wanted to call him and tell him everything but I refrained. My body was humming with so much excitement I was barely able to contain it, I wanted to share it and I wanted to share it with Carlos.

"Feels good doesn't Beautiful?" Lester asked me and I looked at him nodding my head.

"It does feel good. It feels really good. Want to go get ice cream?" I asked Lester and he stopped walking to turn and look at me. I wanted to celebrate and I wanted to celebrate with ice cream.

Lester smiled and then nodded. I noticed him scanning the area as we made it to the car. Lester helped me in and then got in and drove us to the local ice cream shop. We parked and got out. When I went inside I realized this was probably a mistake. The place was full of burg patrons and I was quite certain they were already on their cell phones to everyone they knew reporting that they had spotted me.

I refused to allow their behavior to force me to leave, that was probably mistake number two. We had no more ordered our ice cream cone. Lester a single strawberry, me a triple two scoops of chocolate and one scoop of moose tracks in the middle all in a chocolate dipped waffle cone. Lester looked at me when I ordered shaking his head, I just shrugged. I was definitely in celebration mode.

I wanted to celebrate and a single scoop certainly wasn't celebratory worthy. Besides who eats strawberry ice cream? I mean really? Take something perfectly unhealthy for you and then add fruit I prefer to keep it unhealthy by adding chocolate. No point in being hypocritical by pretending to be healthy because it has fruit in it.

I had just gotten my cone of sweet chocolate goodness when I heard the door open and close, the place went silent and my spidey sense started to go off. I knew who was standing in the little shop and I didn't want to turn around to face her. This wasn't going to go well. I knew there would come a point in time when I needed to talk to her but I was hoping it was going to be on my terms and not hers. Guess that wasn't going to happen.

I had talked to my dad several times on the phone since I had been at Rangeman. He had told me each time that my mother was growing madder by the day. Each day I refused to take her calls, or see her she got madder. I told my dad to tell her I was fine, that I was doing well and I guess he did but that didn't seem to appease her.

I closed my eyes praying that it wasn't her. Lester stood beside me I looked into his eyes and he nodded. He still had my back. I slowly turned around to face my mother.

She stood there her face scowled up, her nose crunched up as if she smelled the worst kind of shit. I saw her scan me and then she looked at Lester and her nose rose even higher. "Well I see my daughter can come for ice cream but she can't visit her mother who has been worried sick that she may be dead for over a month now." She sneered, her voice tight with condescension and disapproval.

"Mother, you know full well I am fine, I have spoken to Daddy several times and I know he has told you that I am well. So I am not certain why you would think I could have been dead." I countered back my voice harder than I really expected it to be. My mother and I had a long line of history and let's just say I did so much better when my mother was less a part of my life than when she was more.

"When are you going to see living with those men, which Joseph said, were nothing but thugs, gang members, and murderers are ruining your reputation? No decent guy will ever want you after they have used you." She said and I felt like I had been slapped across the face she had all but been called me a slut by my mother.

What pissed me off the most was her description of the men that I had grown to trust, to love, that I felt as though they were my family. In just the short time I had known them I had never known anyone so accepting. They had accepted me as I was, broke, in more than one way. Practically homeless and definitely penniless yet they had done nothing but tried to help me, support me, and give me what they could that which I would allow. I wouldn't let her talk about them like that. She could say what she wanted about me but she wasn't going to trash their names.

"Mother you need to check yourself. These men are good, decent, honorable men. They deserve the respect that a hero would deserve. They have put their lives on the line to protect ours, to make our country safe, to make you safe and I won't have you trashing their name or them especially in front of me." I said to her the venom thick in my voice. I was definitely the viper ready to strike, ready to defend what I loved.

I felt the hairs on the back of my neck rise along with my anger and my defenses.

"Young lady I don't know who you think you are talking to, but I am your mother and you will show me some respect. You didn't mind running off with those thugs and they kept me from seeing you, how do you call that honorable. I thought you were dead and they wouldn't allow me to speak to you, see you, to see for myself that you were in fact okay." She said back to me and I felt a little guilty but not enough to stand down.

"You knew I was fine, I told Daddy and I know he told you. I didn't want to talk to you; I didn't want to see you. I knew you were going to harp on me about my life and I don't want to hear it anymore. I chose to stay away from you and I wouldn't be talking to you now if it wasn't for the fact that you cornered me in the ice cream shop." I said back to her.

"You need to come home; you need to get your life together. No respectable burg man will want you after hearing that you are living a building full of men. Respectful burg men don't want trash for wives. They want women who are respectful of themselves, respectful of their parents, respectful of others. Women who have manners and morals not women who live with a bunch of men that are questionable at best." My mother said she didn't say the exact words but she all but called me a whore.

I laughed "Mother we all know that most burg men are about as far from respectful as they can get. Most of them screw around on their wives; some of them even beat their wives just ask Mrs. Morelli. I don't want a burg man, I don't want to be screwed around on or beaten. I want and deserve better than a burg man. We all know what Joe did to me when I was a teenager, and we all know how it ended with the Dick that you were so set on me marrying. I think that is proof enough that burg men are anything but respectful." I screamed tears coming to the surface but I refused to let them fall. I refused to let her see me cry.

"He has changed Stephanie, besides we all know you wanted it just as much as he did I don't know why you don't just face up to that fact and stop living behind the lie that you didn't want it. It wasn't liked he raped you. We all know he wouldn't have done that." She said and I felt like as if she had slapped me in the face for the third time, this time I was liar.

"Joe in fact is joining the FBI; he left last Friday heading to California for training. See had you been with him, you could be moving to California. You could have a nice life like Valerie." She told me and I could hear how proud she was of that fact in her voice. I felt Lester shift beside me but I took charge, I wasn't going to let her have the last say, or win.

"Well I am glad for him. He could drop off of the planet and it would make me happier but at least he is on the other side of the continent so that should be far enough away. Hopefully he will get stationed somewhere far away where I will never see him again." I stated once again venom dripping from my words.

"I taught you better manners than that; see what influence these men have already had on you? You would have never have said that a month ago." My mother said. Maybe not, maybe she had me there but then again a month ago I had no support, no one had my back. It had been a long time since I had someone in my life that really had my back against my mother. Mary Lou was my best friend and she had my back but I didn't ask that she stand up against my mother, or Joe. I had never asked that of her or expected it. I had vented to her some but never really told her the whole truth. Only one person knew the whole truth and she was no longer living; my grandmother.

"Well maybe it was something I should have said a long time ago. Maybe it was something I should have told you long before a month ago. I am just glad that I have come to my senses and I am able to tell you now. You are right they have influenced me but only in good ways. They have encouraged me to stand up for myself. They have influenced me to not allow people to walk over me and tell me what it is I want, or what is good for me. They have taught me to stand up for what I believe in, and for myself." I told her feeling the tears well back up in my eyes.

These were tears for being overwhelmed at the true blessing I had in each and every one of them. What they gave me without even knowing and how they stood beside me. Hearing my words, feeling the feelings I had for them made me realize I loved them all. They had become my family in such a short time. They were part of my heart. I reached back for Lester's hand grabbing it holding it tight in mine. I wanted to fling myself in his arms and hug him for all that he had given me, but at the moment I wasn't about to back down from my mother or give her more fuel to add to her argument.

"Now I suggest you leave and allow us to eat our ice cream in peace. Know that I am better than alive and well. I have support, I have people who love me for who I am, and I have people that I love for who they are. I don't need people dragging me down, putting me down making me feel like I am not good enough in my life. I no longer need you, or want you. You need to leave." I said my voice growing more distant and colder with every word.

I stood there watching my mother her mouth gapping open, her eyes getting large as each of my words registered. I saw heart break and I felt momentarily guilty but then I saw her look around and the quilt and shame in her eyes and I realized she would never change; she would always be worried about what others would think before she worried about the feelings, thoughts, or what would make her or her daughter happy.

I then felt sad for her. Someone who had lived their whole life more worried about what others would think, or say. I mean she had never just lived her life, never allowed me or my sister to just live our lives without us having to hear what other's would say or think and how other people's daughters didn't do or did do certain things. I saw it for the pathetic and sad life it was, living as though you were being judged by everyone around you. I just shook my head at how sad of a person she really was.

"You know mom, have you ever just lived your life without caring what other's thought, or other people did? Have you ever just lived your life for you and not because it fit in some Burg rule, or someone else's approval or disproval? If not, I suggest you try it. Maybe you and those around you would be happier. Maybe you wouldn't alienate your family to the point that no one wants anything to do with you. Maybe you would be able to relax and enjoy your life instead of constantly trying to meet someone else's approval or make someone else happy. When it is all said and done with it someone's happiness or approval that in the grand scheme of things doesn't really mean shit." I told her.

Her mouth had yet to close it was as if she was frozen. The only reason I knew she was listening to me were her eyes getting larger and smaller which each sentence. I finally decided fuck it, I could eat my ice cream cone in the car, so I walked around her towing Lester behind me as I hadn't let go of his hand.

I had made it to the door but I thought I would leave her with one final thought. I turned around "Mom" I called and waited until she turned and looked at me. "Remember what I said; don't go trashing my brother's name. I love them, they love me as family. One of them, Carlos, I intend on spending the rest of my life with, and no mom he is anything but a Burg man. He is a man worth having one who will always support me, always protect me, never cheat on me, and forever love me; as I will forever love him. I will not allow you to disrespect them by spreading pure lies and hatred." I said realizing I had divulged a little too much of my feelings for him, I hadn't told him that I loved him yet for fear I would scare him away and now I have gone all but told Lester. She didn't say anything back but she finally shut her mouth.

With that I walked out of the shop happy with myself. I had stood up for myself twice today one to a man that tried to take advantage of me when I was at my weakest point and secondly to my mother. I wanted to call Carlos and tell him so bad but I didn't want to disturb him. I could only hope that he would call me at some point so I could tell him about my day.

"Lester please keep what you heard about my feelings to yourself." I asked him and he looked at me.

"Why?" He asked me and I felt myself blush.

"I haven't told Carlos how I feel, I was afraid to confess my feelings to him after knowing him for such a short time." I told him. He nodded.

"Your secret is safe with me, but Beautiful, he feels the same way about you." He said and I looked at him. He nodded once again answering my silent question of really. I smiled not wanting to dive any further into that conversation.

I reached my cone out to tap Lester's cone, quickly catching on he tapped his cone to mine. Thinking ding dong the witch is dead as his touched mine. When he broke out in laughter I guess I said that out loud so I joined him as we both laughed out loud as we made our way to our vehicle happily eating our ice cream.

**Let me know what you think….leave a review.**


	43. Chapter 42: Normalcy of it all

**Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! For those that have Private messages turned off that left Reviews thank you for the reviews! I love reading every one of them so keep them coming.**

**I want to Thank Margaret Fowler for encouraging this story out of me. When I mentioned it to you 6 – 7 months ago you didn't let it die in my head. You kept pressing for it so here it is finally being written! I hope it is everything you thought it would be.**

**Standard Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine. They belong to JE I just take them out of the box and play with them a little. I have begged to keep Ranger and Lester for myself but I have yet to get a response… **

**Chapter 42: Normalcy of it all**

**RPOV**

I had gotten off of the helicopter in Virginia. Falls Church, Virginia to be exact, he lived in an older neighborhood. I had researched the area around his house lots of older homes, and lots of churches near his home. I had no idea about his religion and I didn't give a shit.

The helicopter put me down and I drove to his house in the awaiting vehicle. I missed my Porsche. The car I was currently driving was just a non assuming car that would fit in middle suburbia. I pulled up in front of his home scanned the area. I knew his wife was working, at least she should be she was a school teacher at the middle school. His children should both be in school, one went to the middle school where his wife worked, and the other kid went to the area high school.

Their home was built in nineteen fifteen. I had researched it; it had been renovated on the inside. It had three bedrooms, five bathrooms. Three stories, he had bought the house in nineteen ninety-nine for a little over three hundred thousand today it was worth over a million.

I pulled up in the driveway, got out went to the door and let myself in. I took a few pictures just to prove I was there. I didn't go into any of the bedrooms just stuck to the main living areas, kitchen, and dining room. That was good enough.

I then stepped out of the house. I walked over on the large wraparound porch that didn't go all the way around the house but was on two sides and took a seat in one of the white rockers. I knew it wouldn't be too long before Trisha would be home.

Michaels was about to get a surprise of his life.

I saw the car, his wife's car. I watched as it drove by the house and then pulled into the driveway. I stood up so she could see me standing on the porch. I heard the car cut off three doors open and shut. Wife and kids are home.

She walks up on the porch the kids running in front of her; you would have thought Michaels would have taught them better than that. I had a quick thought at how my heart would stop if Stephanie were to ever do anything as reckless as this. If I were here to harm them they would have already been dead. Michaels should be thrilled I am here to scare the shit out of him instead of actually harming his family.

"Hi, do I know you?" She asks me smiling at me. I smile back not wanting to scare her, at least not yet.

I shook my head no, knowing full well that she knew she had never seen me, or met me in her life or mine. "No, Mrs. Michaels, we haven't met. I am a friend of your husband's I thought I would stop by since I was in town and visit with him for a little while. Will he be home?" I asked her. She smiled.

"Yes, he normally comes home sometimes between six and seven depending on how bad traffic is." She told me and I nodded understanding fully how traffic can be a bitch from Washington, especially certain times of the day.

"Please come in and make yourself at home." She said as she opened the door and held the storm door open. I once again found myself half scared shitless that Stephanie would do something seemingly so incent, seemingly so polite and friendly yet extremely dangerous and completely deadly. I wasn't here to kill her or their children but I could have been or so could anyone else for that matter.

I smiled as I grabbed the door holding it so she could walk in and I could follow her. The kids had already rushed in and if I had to guess gone to their respective rooms. She confirmed it when she walked over the stairwell and yelled up the stairs.

"Do your homework before phone, games, texting, and TV. Once you are done bring it downstairs for me to review." I smiled thinking how some things never change. I smiled thinking how normal that was, I remember my mother yelling that to me, my sister yelling it to her kids. I think about Stephanie yelling it to our kids and I shake my head to clear those thoughts.

Thinking about her doing something so natural makes the anger for what Michaels did well up in me further. If he were to be successful in his attempt my Babe would never have that, would never be able to do that and it seemed so unfair. It seemed so wrong even so much more so than when I originally learned of what he had planned.

To think that the reasons behind it were because of me made me sick. I couldn't help but think how Stephanie deserved so much better in life. She deserved to have the chance at yelling up stairs at her children to tell them to do their homework, she deserved a husband that came home at night hugged her told her, told her that he loved her, loved their children, loved their life without fearing that an enemy would seek her or them out for revenge. She deserved to never fear a stranger standing on her porch. Having me in her life, it took all of that away.

Those thoughts caused fear and anger to well up in me further. Would she come to hate me, resent me, and not want me once she herself realized what she was giving up, what she had unbeknownst to her agreed to when she accepted me in her life? I never wanted to walk away from her, I wanted her beside me with me for the rest of my life. But what I wanted was selfish. It was what I should want for her that should count not what I wanted because of my feelings.

What I should want for her is a normal life, with a normal husband, kids, dogs, hell even a pony if they wanted. What I should want for her is a life that she can remain innocent to the ways of the world, happy with no fear that the person walking up behind you, walking toward you, or standing beside you is someone that is looking to harm you, kill you, or send a message to your husband by harming you.

Safety she would have in spades as I could assign men to her but how much of that would impede on the life she deserved? I was snapped from my inner montage of thoughts when Trisha spoke up.

"I am sorry; I don't know your name. Would you like something to drink? I have some iced tea; I even think there's some beer in the refrigerator." She tells me.

"I am sorry, my name is Ranger. Well they call me Ranger. Tea would be fine, no sugar." I said as I followed her into the kitchen. She fixed my glass sat it in front of me as I sat down at the bar. She remained behind the bar working in the kitchen, I had no doubt cooking tonight's dinner.

"We aren't having anything special for dinner just chicken, veggies on the grill with some brown rice, but you are welcome to join us if you would like." I nodded smiling.

"Thank you, I would enjoy that. Can I help you with anything?" I asked her and she shook her head no as she started working around the kitchen.

"How long have you known my husband?" She asked me.

"I have known Richard for a little over ten years." I answered her and she nodded her head.

"I know this sounds stupid but do you work with my husband? He never tells me anything about his job. The only thing I know is that he works for the government, and everything is top secret." She said. I felt sorry for her. He should have at least told her the dangers of his job, dangers that his job subjected her and their children to. If he had, I doubt that I would be standing in his house, with his wife in the same room and his kids a floor above.

I even notice there was no security system in the house. He wouldn't have had to tell her anything to have gotten a security system. He could have done it without even divulging any secrets. I made a note to never do this to my Babe.

She would know the dangers that are my life, and she would know how to protect her life and keep herself safe; at least as much as she would be capable of doing. Even with her deserving so much better than me, better life than what I had to offer her, if she chose to accept me, keep me, and have me in her life. She would know to protect hers, how to keep her life safe, and things to look out for.

"Yes, Richard and I have worked together in the past. A lot of it is top secret, confidential. There are things that shouldn't be told to anyone who isn't read in." I told her. Hoping that she would see what I left unsaid. What I didn't tell her. That there are some things he could and should have told you.

She nodded, I saw something fly by her eyes and I couldn't help but think she had understood exactly what I had wanted her hear.

"Well I guess hearing that is better than hearing your husband has another family that he is spending his time with." She said and I could help but nod my head pressing my lips together. I had no idea what to say to that so I just remained quiet and gave her a moment.

"Are you married?" She asked me

"No, ma'am. I am not. However, I have recently met a woman, that maybe one day will say yes when I ask her. We will see." I said. She smiled.

"Well let me tell you, when that happens, tell her something, anything about yourself, don't leave her in the dark. Trust me the mind plays tricks on you. It will make you think things that you know are crazy but you still can't help but think them." She confessed and I had a feeling she was talking about more than what she had just said about her husband having a second family.

Once again I felt awkward, and didn't really know what to say so I nodded adding "duly noted." She nodded her head slightly smiling I could see hurt behind her eyes. Michaels certainly hadn't made their marriage easy, or even happy for that matter.

I felt sorry for her, a month ago I wouldn't have given shit. I would have been incapable of caring about her, her failed marriage, her dumb as fuck husband who was too dumb to tell her enough to protect his family. Having met Stephanie changed all of that. Looking at her I couldn't help but think of Stephanie and think that I didn't ever want her to feel that way, that I never wanted her to be hurt because of me being anything like Michaels.

She had changed my heart. She had busted her way into my heart bringing light, love, and feelings. By her being a part of my heart it allowed me to see pain, heart break, happiness, joy, and love not only in her, but in others. It had also allowed me to feel all of it for myself. It was overwhelming, it was strange, it was all encompassing and it was something I wouldn't change even if I could.

I sat there drinking the tea, lost in my thoughts as Trisha Michaels worked around the kitchen preparing the family meal. Thoughts went back to how oblivious she was to everything. How she just didn't understand the dangers that existed for her in this world because of her husband. Maybe that is why he hadn't told her. Maybe he didn't want her living in fear. Maybe he wanted her living a life of naivety where the darkness of our world didn't touch her. I could understand that but what I couldn't understand is leaving her vulnerable.

Maybe he thought because no one knew where he lived she was safe. I was proof that line of thinking wasn't accurate. I wasn't going to hurt her, true, but if I found him, others could too. I was good, I was the best, but finding someone that didn't necessarily take the best. My emotions would swing from feeling sorry for his wife, sad for the pitiful life that she was obviously trying hard to make herself believe she was happy in, and murderous hatred for my x-handler. The monster within me wanted Michaels blood, wanted the kill. The man within me wanted him to agree to leave my Babe alone so I could leave him with a warning, along with his life and the lives of his family. There were moments during my thoughts that I wasn't sure which side of me was going to win, the man or the monster.

If the monster within me won then no one in the house would be safe.

I was hoping I would be able to scare Michaels enough to get him in line but if he was unhappy with his home life, if he no longer loved his wife and family maybe he would see it more as a blessing and force my hand for me to do what I didn't really want to do.

I didn't want to harm them, but to protect my Babe there isn't anything I wouldn't do. Want to or not, I would do it if it meant that she would be safe from him. I figured I had another hour at least before he would be at home so I once again found myself offering to help her.

"You sure there isn't anything I can do to help you?" I asked her and she shook her head no.

"No, it's okay you are our guest, we don't usually have guests so please allow me to treat you as one." She said smiling.

"Besides you are the first coworker of Richard's to ever come by our home. He would probably be upset if I put you to work in the kitchen." She said and I could see him thinking that kitchen work was beneath him. He was definitely the kind of man that believed women had certain jobs to fulfill around the house and the men well they should do other things like sit and watch a game, drink a beer, and be a burden to their wives.

The thought that he would fit in the burg lifestyle crossed my mind. I began to wonder how far off his wife was from that alternate family. He may not have an alternate family but I would be willing she wasn't the only one that he was meeting between the sheets.

"How long have you lived here?" I asked her distracting my thoughts.

"We bought this house in ninety-nine. About a year or so after our son was born." She said. I already knew it but I was just making small talk, something I never did, but I wanted to distract myself from the thoughts I was having before I ended up doing something I would later regret.

"My Son, Josh, he is fifteen and is in his first year of high school, my daughter, Jamie, she is twelve and in her first year of middle school. She actually goes to the same school where I teach. I like it, she naturally hates it that her mother is there on the school grounds every day." She said smiling and I nodded understanding I would have definitely hated it. I went to school to get away from my parents watchful eye. It was where I got in the most trouble. I would have definitely hated it. I also noted her saying my son and my daughter as if they were solely hers and not theirs.

"I think that is pretty normal response but it might not be all that bad." Saying what I felt. She smiled.

"Well at their ages the littlest thing seems to be the be all to end all. I guess I remember being like that thinking that the world was going to come to an end if a particular boy didn't pay attention to me, or because something happened but then as you get older you see how insane those thoughts were. However, no matter how much you tell your kids there will come a day when it doesn't matter they don't believe it, or see it that way." She said and I nodded my head.

I checked my watch again to see how much longer until Michaels would come home. I wasn't much for carrying a conversation. I decided to ask her something that I did know about.

"How safe is this neighborhood?" I asked her. She looked at me her eyebrows knitting together I could see her asking herself why I had asked her that question.

"Well it is an older neighborhood. Most of the people in this neighborhood are older so there are few kids on the street. We don't have problems with gangs, or any violence. I haven't even heard of any break-ins in the area." She said. I wanted to shake my head. In my little research of the area I knew that three homes had been burglarized in the past year. Did she never listen to the news?

"I noticed you don't have a security system. Have you and Richard ever discussed a security system?" I asked her and she shook her head no.

"No, I mentioned it to him once but he said that security systems are only for honest people. He said that criminals were going to come in regardless of having a security system, deadbolt locks, etc. That if they wanted in bad enough they would get in." She said and I wanted to tell her what a dumbass way to think.

Yes, to a point he was right a criminal that wants to break in your house is going to break into your house nothing is going to hold him back, however, the right security system in place could mean you make it out with your life.

"Well it may be true that a security system may not prevent someone who is determined to break in this house but it may deter someone who just wants to break in a house. The point is to make your home harder to access than the other homes around you. Also, if someone did break in to your home if you had the right security system it would alert the appropriate authorities." I told her. She nodded.

"I told him that, but he wouldn't listen." She said and I knew this was a conversation that was turning my emotions in a direction I didn't want them to go. I didn't need any more fuel to fire the hatred I was currently feeling towards Michaels. Even though she doesn't appear very happy with him, I am quite certain she wouldn't be happy with me, if I killed him in front of her.

Regardless of how fucked up their relationship seemed to me he was her husband and she loved him for whatever her reasons were. There were also two kids to consider. I was about to change the subject when her daughter Jamie walked into the kitchen carrying her backpack and school books.

"Mom, I finished my homework." She said as she sat her books down on the bar and sat down on the stool at the end.

"Okay I will check it in a few minutes. Go upstairs and straighten your room up bring your dirty clothes down, and put all your shoes away, in your closet neatly." She said, the daughter huffed clearly unhappy with the few chores she had been given but to my surprise didn't counter or voice her dislikes she just turned and left the kitchen.

"Every day we do this, and every day I have to tell them. I just don't understand how they don't know that this is the routine. They can play, watch TV, text, talk on the phone, and get on their computers when they are done with their home work and their chores for the day. Yet instead of just doing them and then being able to enjoy the rest of their evening I have to tell them, they have to huff and puff about it before relenting and doing them. In the time it takes them to fuss about it some nights they could have done it." She said shaking her head and I couldn't help but smile. Laughing on the inside thinking I remember those days as a kid and the arguments my mother and I would have.

I briefly wondered if Stephanie and I had a child would we go through the same things. It warmed my heart to think that we would. However frustrated Trisha may have been, or seemed she was it felt like something so normal and for some reason there was comfort in those thoughts.

She had put the rice on to cook, the veggies and chicken were cut up ready for the grill. Looking at the clock I guess she decided she had time because she walked around the bar sat down on the stool at the far end and started to review the homework her daughter had brought down.

She had little square post-it notes and every now and then she would take one make a note and put it on the paper. When she was done she called Jamie to come back in the kitchen.

"Jamie there were a couple of things on your homework you need to take a second look at. I made a note, if you don't understand it or can't figure it out let me know we will work together on it after dinner." She said

The daughter once again huffed but grabbed her books and went out of the kitchen. It wasn't any time after her daughter left before her son, Josh, walked in his books in his hands.

"Mom, I am done." He announced as he put his books on the bar. She nodded.

"Okay, go up to your room straighten your room, bring down your dirty clothes, get the towels out of your bathroom and put them with the other towels in the laundry room. Please pick up your clean clothes in the laundry room and put them away in your room, don't jam them in your closet. I will be checking behind you. Dinner will be ready in about an hour." She told him. It was if I was watching instant replay only with a different supporting character. He gave the same reaction. I couldn't help but smile.

"Sometimes I feel like I am herding cats." She said shaking her head as he sullenly walked out of the kitchen.

She started going over his home work. Once again placing a couple of post-it notes with her notations. I wasn't close enough to read what she was writing not that it mattered. When she was done she called him back into the kitchen gave him his things with the same instructions as she had given her daughter. It was instant replay.

She got up grabbing plates, silverware, napkins, and walked over the table and started setting it for five.

"I should warn you, dinner time around here can be rather interesting. Josh's head is usually buried in one of his hand-held gaming consoles. Jamie is usually texting with her friends so be prepared for all the extra noises from the devices and the lack of or I should say non-existent conversation." She said, and I nodded. I briefly wondered if Michaels bothered talking to her or the kids but then decided probably not if that was allowed. I would be willing to bet he was hands off as much as he could get away with. Michaels would be too busy thinking and doing for himself than his wife or children.

If Stephanie and I did have children I would be sure not to repeat some of the mistakes I was clearly seeing Michaels making.

Even as a grown man, in the rare incidents when I did have dinner with my family the cell phone went on silent and the only person I would consider taking a call from during that time would be my Babe. She came first, then and now. Granted I didn't see my family often, I steered clear for many different reasons. But with Stephanie in my life I may reconsider my reasons for staying away. Being in this house, watching her with her kids had me feeling a weird sense of nostalgia mixed with a sense hope for mine and Stephanie's future.

Not really knowing what to say I said what felt right for the situation. "It's okay I assure you I have been in worse environments, a whole lot worse." Not sure if it was truly appropriate but I figured better than saying nothing.

She gathered up the vegetables and the chicken and started walking towards the patio door. I got up opened it for her allowing her to walk through, as I followed her out on the back patio where the grill was located.

She opened the gas grill and lit it. A few minutes later she put some olive oil on the grates and placed the food on them. Closing the top we walked back into the house where she started working with the rice.

Her daughter and son came down with their laundry and I watched as her son carried his back to this room. They were doing their chores. I also watched as her daughter picked up her abandoned shoes she had left around the house. Again I was lost in the normalcy of it all. I didn't know how to classify what I was feeling but I knew it was something that I had never felt before Stephanie walked into my life or I should say crashed into my life.

I knew I loved her, I knew I would give my life for her; I knew I needed her in my life. But it was seeing the happenings in this home that made me realize the life I wanted with her. What I wanted that life to consist of, how I wanted it to be. I found myself wanting something I never thought I would want. I found myself wanting the two kids, the dog, the white picket fence, and even the fucking pony. I found myself wanting the soccer mom SUV, the taxiing of children from one place to another. I even found myself wanting the fights over homework, chores, and the attempts of making them behave themselves. I found myself wanting a life of normalcy with my Babe.

My love for her was the forever kind of love one you built a life on, one you built a life around not one that just resided in your current life with nothing changing. Now my only problem was, how was I going to have that life, when I had led the life I had to this point. Michaels was a big part of it, but not the only part. The thought of me maybe having to destroy lives of innocent people in order for me to have the life I wanted didn't set to well with me but I was willing to do what was necessary. I was just hoping that Michaels would agree to my terms so I could prevent further destruction of life at least for today; there had already enough.

Trisha had just gotten the food off of the grill, the rice off of the stove and placed everything on the table when I heard the front door. There were no greetings yelled out from anyone, Trisha, the kids, or Richard. It felt sad to me; I would want my Babe and kids yelling to me, and me yelling to them a greeting. I heard him drop his briefcase; I pictured him taking off his jacket if he hadn't already, possibly his tie.

I heard rustling and I knew he was making his way into the kitchen so I stood. I couldn't wait for him to see my hardened eyes and the smile on my face.

"Hi honey, I have a surprise for you. One of your coworkers dropped by to see you today and I invited him to join us for dinner." Trisha said smiling. He then stepped through the kitchen fair enough to see me standing beside the table just past the bar. I saw his eyes bug out a little as his mouth gaped open. I could sense the fear rising in him at the sight of me standing in his home.

"Hi Richard, I was in the neighborhood and thought I would drop by to say hello." I said to him as I walked closer to him reaching my hand out to shake his. When his hand met mine I squeeze hard for him to get my message.

He nodded. "Hi, it's nice to see you Ranger. How have you been?" He asked me his voice a little shaken but more stable than I had given him credit for, I smiled.

"Your beautiful wife here has fixed dinner. Let's eat first then we will talk after dinner, Okay?" I said squeezing his hand again and he nodded.

"Of course." He said none too happily, motioning for the table. Trisha called the kids to join us. I watched as both kids walked into the kitchen depositing their home back on the bar and taking their seats at the table, again I was struck by the normalcy of it all.

**Please tell me what you think…leave a review**


	44. Chapter 43: Dealing with the Enemy

**Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! For those that have Private messages turned off that left Reviews thank you for the reviews! I love reading every one of them so keep them coming.**

**I want to Thank Margaret Fowler for encouraging this story out of me. When I mentioned it to you 6 – 7 months ago you didn't let it die in my head. You kept pressing for it so here it is finally being written! I hope it is everything you thought it would be.**

**Standard Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine. They belong to JE I just take them out of the box and play with them a little. I have begged to keep Ranger and Lester for myself but I have yet to get a response… **

**Sorry for the delay. A friend of mine mother's died last week so I had a busy weekend and day with family night and funerals, nice service, but no fun! **

**Chapter 43: Dealing with the Enemy**

**RPOV**

We sat down at the table. I saw the leery look in Michael's eyes and it made me smile. He was right to not trust me, I wasn't going to harm his wife, and kids not unless he left me no other option but I didn't want him to know that.

I watched as Trisha handed him the plate of rice first. Once he had helped himself he handed it to his son, Josh and Trisha handed him the chicken. I watched as the dishes were passed and accepted them when it came my turn. I couldn't help but notice how Trisha was last to serve herself.

She was his wife, and he allowed her to serve herself last after she had fixed the meal, sat the table, taken care of his kids, and the house. I wanted to shake my head at the inequality and I found myself hoping if I treated Stephanie like this, my men would beat the fuck out of me, for it.

At my table it was quite known no one took food for themselves until my Babe had filled her plated first. I had set that precedent at the hospital and it had been followed from that day until this one. I would even bet with me away her plate will be fixed before anyone else who was eating with her would put a damn crumb on theirs.

Trisha was right the kids were lost in their various devices, hand held gaming devices, phones, ipads. They definitely wouldn't become bored during dinner. I briefly wondered if this would be something I would allow my child to bring to the table. I would like to think it was something I wouldn't allow but teenagers are difficult it may be one of those things you give into so you can so no to something that is even bigger.

I was proof that you couldn't take everything away and the child not buck the system. I tabled my judgment of the device allowance at the table as I focused on eating my meal. No one spoke, there were four people eating, you could hear noises of us chewing, swallowing, drinking, and the various devices but nothing beyond.

Not a mention of how good the food was, not a thank you to their mother or his wife. Was this their normal? If so, it wasn't the life I wanted with my Babe. I wanted her to be lifted up, I wanted her praised, I wanted her supported not ignored.

Michael's eyes would meet mine every now and then and I could see the fear in him. I just smiled at him. "Trish, thank you. Dinner is delicious." I told her thinking I would do what her family was unwilling or didn't want to be bothered to do.

She smiled. "I am glad you are enjoying it, I am sorry it couldn't be something better. You are the first coworker of Richard's to visit our home. I am sorry I couldn't have done more." She said smiling and I smiled back.

"I assure you it is more than good enough." I told her.

I looked at Michaels and when his wife diverted her eyes from me I gave him the look I wanted him to see, the monster with me. I felt my eyes harden my hatred for him pouring through and I watched as he swallowed hard. Trying to swallow the bite of food he had taken.

"Richard, how have you been?" I asked, like I gave a fuck. I didn't, but I wanted to let him know that as good as he thought he had been, it wasn't going to continue.

"Fine, Ranger. We have been doing fine." He said his voice tight. "What brings you by here?" He said his voice a little jumpy with un-sureness if he should be asking, but he was anyway. I smiled at him.

I rubbed my mouth with the napkin taking a few minutes to let him sweat, while he waited for my answer. "I am glad you all are doing well. We know all too well how things can change in a blink of an eye. I came by because, I needed to discuss some business with you, and I thought for this conversation it would be better outside of the office." I answered him once again smiling at the difficulty he was having in swallowing. He was chocking on his fear.

When I had finished my meal I waited for the others to finish once they had, I stood up and took my plate, silverware, and glass to the sink rinsed them and placed them in the dishwasher. I knew no one else at the table would do that except for Trish and I wanted to show her that I appreciated the meal she had fixed. Besides it sent a message to Richard.

I walked back over to the table. "Trish, again thank you for the meal. It was delicious. Richard, you got a moment we can talk in your office?" I asked him and he nodded his head. He stood up from the table not even bothering to push his chair under the table; typical.

We made our way to his office. I had already been through his office when I was in the house earlier. He walks through the door and immediately races for his desk. I just smile and shake my head as he is feeling under the desk.

"Don't bother." I told him and he stopped and looked at me.

"Look I came here to talk to you. I will leave you and your family alone under one condition. You call the dogs off of my woman, and you let me go." He looks at me shaking his head. I sighed, at his stupidity.

"You threatened what is mine; you put her life in danger by your fucking order. Don't think I will think twice before repaying the favor. Only I won't stop at your wife, I will include the pieces you have on the side, and your kids. I will hunt you, I will haunt you. You should know better than to cross me." I said to him my voice tight and darken the threat dripping off of my words.

"Ranger I just can't let you go. Your contract…" He started to say but I cut him off.

"I know you have your ways, I know you can make it happen. If you want your family, your women on the side, and your wife you will figure out a way to do it." I said. "You of all people should know what I am capable of, what I am willing to do. I will take their lives, and I will make you watch every second." I threatened hoping it would be good enough to make him believe me. He nodded, swallowing the bile that had risen up in his throat from my threat. I couldn't help but notice the green look on his face.

I smiled and leered at him. "Ranger I will do it." He said oh he was going to do it; he was going to do it now, in fact.

"Well then make the call." I told him motioning to the phone on his desk and he shook his head.

"I can't do it tonight; I will have to wait until tomorrow." He said and I shook my head.

"Call off your dogs, and make the call to end my contract, now. You are out of time. You either disturb whoever you need to or you and your family die. Your time table to do something is now. Right this moment, my patience is growing thin." I told him. My voice dark and dangerously tight the monster within me was awake and ready. Ready for the smell and sight of their blood, I shook those thoughts off. I didn't want to actually take their lives though he was pushing me to want it.

He nodded picking up the phone making a call. "Abort the mission. Abort the mission, go home. Leave the woman alone, she is not to be targeted now or ever." He said and I looked at him narrowing my eyes at him.

He hung up the phone and looked at me. "It's done, he said." And I smiled at him letting my eyes harden as if I was meeting the eyes of the enemy. I was he was now the enemy.

"Do you take me for a fool?" I asked him stepping closer to him, his eyes widening his mouth opening he shook his head no. But it wasn't a no he didn't believe I was a fool. It was a shake of fear the no 'don't do this'. I grabbed him by his shirt jerking him up on the desk bringing him closer to me to the point that my face was directly in front of his. I held him with one hand while my other hand grabbed his jaw holding it place so he was forced to focus on my eyes as they bored in his.

"If you value your life you won't pull anymore shit like that. You will make the appropriate phone calls. The next stunt you pull will cost you the life of your family. Do I make myself clear?" I asked him. I let go of his jaw and then grabbed my knife opening it with a flick I put it right under his jaw.

"Do your coward ass a favor and do what I ask. Don't fuck with me. I won't be so gentle the next time." I said as I flicked the blade to knick him just under his jaw. The sweat beaded up on his forehead. He nodded; when he did the blade bit back into his neck I didn't bother removing the blade. I let it further cut him. The blood dripping down his neck was making the monster within me happy. The monster sniffed and I felt the sense of appeasement wash over within.

I didn't need to see my reflection to know what he was seeing when he looked at me. Fear evident in his eyes. I could smell the fear radiating off of his body and it disgusted me. To be a government handler, former CIA, he was nothing but a fucking coward. He had no spine, no backbone, and no fight. He had others that he called, like me, to do his fighting, his killing, and his bidding. He wouldn't get his hands dirty not because it would mess up his freshly manicured nails, but because he had no balls. He was chicken.

I tossed him backward off of the desk. He stumbled backwards but somehow managed to stay on his feet. Nodding his head he picked up the phone again dialing a number albeit a different number this time. "The mark on Stephanie Plum, remove it. She is no longer a target. You heard me she is not to be targeted. Anyone that has been sent the information send them the call off. She is no longer a target and should be left alone." I heard him say to the person on the other end. I raised my head waiting for the one thing I knew would signal the call off, I hadn't heard it yet.

"Zulu Tango one niner five xray" that was it, the code I had been waiting for him to say. It is the code of the handler and it tells operatives that the mission is in fact being cancelled. Without the code regardless of the words said the mission is still ago. I nodded my head as he hung up the phone.

Now it was time to move on to the other piece of business I came here for.

"Now, you need to make one more phone call. I want my contract ended. Make the call, now." I told him and he wiped the sweat that had formed across his forehead and was currently running down both sides of his face. Nodding his head, he picked up the phone and began dialing yet a different number.

"This is Richard Michaels, zulu tango one niner five xray, I need the file for Carlos Manoso, aka Ranger on my desk as soon as possible. I want you to mark him in the system has having fulfilled his contract with the government. You heard me. I need you to do that now, print the page and fax it to me at my home fax number, now. Tomorrow we will complete the file." I heard him say to the person on the other end of the phone.

He hung up and it was moments later that he was receiving a fax. He handed it to me and it was as he had asked, the contract marked fulfilled. I was now marked as retired; honorably discharged.

"I expect a copy of my file once you finish everything tomorrow. Overnight it to my office. I am going to trust you on this. If I don't get it I will be back and the next time you see me here it won't be to have a conversation. Are we clear?" I asked him and he nodded.

Funny how he can talk to the people he has called but he hasn't been able to form a word to me in the past few minutes.

"Talk coward." I said to him letting the disgust I have for him to show through my voice.

"Yes, we are clear. You will have a copy of the file day after tomorrow. There will be no reason or need for you to come back here." He said and I wouldn't be surprised if he hadn't dirtied his pants in some way with the way he was shaking and the fear that was rolling off of him. It was disgusting for an ex CIA agent to break so easily. It was good he didn't do field missions because he would be giving away the countries secrets at the first sign of torture from the enemy.

"You are quite disgusting in how coward you are. I didn't even have to apply any pressure to break you. You broke on your own, sweating like a fucking pig. It's sad that this is what my government has to handle some of the countries deadliest operatives, a fucking coward, a piece of chicken shit. I guess those that can't do just order. You are one of the wannabes; want to be a badass but you are just too chicken shit to be one. Grow some balls." I told him.

He was holding on to the back of his desk chair for dear life as though once again it was the single object keeping him upright at the moment. "Your wife, and family deserve someone able to protect them, not some fucking coward. Leave Stephanie alone, leave me alone and you will never see me again. You don't follow through, or you fuck with me, or her again and I will be back only it will be for your fucking head. Don't think I won't be watching you." I told him.

He nodded. I am not sure what it was he was nodding for I am not even certain he was sure at this point I could have told him anything asked anything and he would have nodded he was so fucking scared. His skin white, ashen because the blood had run out long time ago, the sweat on his forehead, the broken and high pitch of his voice, the shaking of his hands, the wide and wild look of his eyes all because of how afraid he was.

"Get your shit together. I will be looking for that package. I am glad we could reach an agreement, amendable to all. " I told him. Once again a head nod. I shook my head in further disgust of the man before me.

"Tell your wife, I enjoyed the meal and the hospitality. For your sake and for hers I really hope I don't have to come back." I said as I turned and made my way out of the office, and out of the house. Getting in the car I made a phone call.

"It's done. Turn the ears on; let's make sure he doesn't do anything stupid. I don't trust him he is a fucking coward; he is running scared right now. We both know sometimes scared only causes you to run in the wrong direction and do something even more fucking stupid. I am staying close until we know he has done what he has promised." I said and hung the phone up.

I switched cars to a second car that was waiting for me. I knew he would have made note of the car when he pulled in the driveway so I didn't want him to be able to track me in anyway if he was inclined. I wanted him to think I had gone home. We would see if tomorrow he actually followed through on his promise.

For his families sake I hope he does. I debated just ending his life tomorrow when he left for work. Never having to worry about any of this hanging over me or Stephanie to come back later and bite us in the ass. Before Stephanie came into my life there was no doubt what I would have done, without thought. I would have ended his life. Now because of her I was trying for a different way, I only hoped it was as successful.

I pulled into the hotel, walking in to get the room that was reserved for me I wanted to kill him all over again. He had taken me away from my Babe. I was going to be spending the first night without her in my arms since she had come to live with me. That alone was reasons enough but I shook those thoughts off as I thanked the woman behind the counter and made my way to my room.

I took a cleansing shower washing away the thoughts of Michaels. Once I was done I sat down on the bed and picked up my phone, it was time to talk to my Babe. I wanted to find out about her day.

"Hello." She said and I smiled. The phone I was using she wouldn't know who it was. It was a burner phone I had picked up just for this trip. If he looked up my location using my cell phone it would have me back in Trenton.

"Babe" I said and I could hear her smiling through the phone, which made me smile.

"Hi." She said.

"Hi. How are you?" I asked her.

"Good. Better than good, actually." She said.

"Really, what has you better than good?" I asked her smiling.

"It's hard to explain everything over the phone but I came face to face with the man that I had been dreaming about. It wasn't a dream it was real. It was something I was remembering that happened." She said and I froze hearing her words. I was going to kill Santos. I calmed myself remembering her words that she was better than good and registering the happiness in her voice.

"What happened, Babe?" I asked her.

"Well don't get mad at me. I sort of got my revenge while meeting with them to discuss a security system with Rangeman. It was my first client meeting." She said and I wanted to smile, picturing her looking slightly nervous probably blushing from the confession. I didn't give a fuck I wouldn't be mad at her, ever. If she didn't want the client then I didn't need the client, fuck them.

"You did huh?" I let the humor show through in my voice.

"Yeah. But good news is they are going to sign with us and buy whatever it is we recommend." She said and I could hear the happiness in her voice. I shook my head. How was this getting revenge?

"Babe how did you get revenge and manage to get them to sign in the same meeting?" I asked her.

"I didn't give them a choice. I told them they are to sign any contract we bring to them or else." She said and I smiled.

"Or else what?" I asked her enjoying the back and forth but slightly wishing she would just tell me without all the questions.

"Well I sort of took some pictures and video and I threatened if they didn't do what I told them that I would make sure the whole world saw it. I would post it on Youtube and make sure it goes viral." I heard her say and I wondered what kind of video was it she took.

"So do I want to know about the video?" I asked her and I could hear her nodding but yet hesitant and I knew she was blushing. Something told me this was going to be good and I had yet to hear what she had done. I only heard the excitement in her voice as it was radiating through the phone.

"Well I could send it to you but you probably don't really want to see it. I sort of made them strip then I tied them up so that they were sort of…um...you know…sort of looking as though they were um…doing…well...you know." She said falling over her words but I got the picture in my head of what she was trying to say and I smiled.

"I had them moving and making noises, you get the picture." She said and I could barely hold back the laughter that wanted to burst out at the images she was creating in my head.

"How did you manage that?" I asked her.

"Well Lester insisted that I get dressed for the meeting, so Ram outfitted me with a gun and well I used it to make sure they did what I wanted." Holy shit she had held them at gunpoint. How the fuck did she keep from getting her ass arrested for what she had done?

"Babe you know that is illegal right? They could get you arrested, press charges." I worried but she just giggled.

"Yeah they could but if they do I release the video. After all you don't think I have the only copy. I sent a copy to Lester, Ram, and Cal if something happens to me they know what to do." I couldn't help but laugh this time out loud.

"Babe" I said completely impressed and proud of her.

"Anything else you care share, Babe?" I asked her smiling

"Well Lester and I left and I felt like celebrating so we went and had ice cream. Before you say anything it was a celebration ice cream and you know those don't count when it comes to eating healthy and all that crap you and Bobby have me doing." She said and I smiled nodding. I will give her, her celebration ice cream cone.

"Ok Babe, celebration ice cream." I repeated to her.

"I ran into my mother." I froze once again worry flowing through me.

"Oh? How did that go?" I asked her unsure of what to say, wanting to be there because I knew that would have been stressful for her and I just wanted to hold her in my arms.

"It went about as well as could be expected. She wanted me to come with her, leave all of you, that I was ruining my reputation. Yada yada yada." She said and I hesitated, I can see where others would think she was lowering her standards to be associated with us.

"What did you say?" I asked her.

"Well I told her a lot of things but I think I can sufficiently say I told her to stuff it only not in those words." She said and I smiled.

"So you are good? You aren't upset? Do you need me to come home?" I asked her.

"No, I am good. I want you home, but I don't need you to come home. How are things with you?" She asked me.

"Babe I didn't have as much fun as you, but things are good. Provided he holds true to his promise tomorrow all will be good. I am staying here only to be close in case he tries to pull something. I think it is obvious I don't trust him but if you need me." I said leaving the suggestion open.

"Good I am glad to hear you had a good day and things are going well. I was worried about you, Tank felt like you should have taken someone as back up and that made me worried because you hadn't." She told me and I wanted to curse Tank for causing her to worry; fucking big mouth of his.

"Babe I am good, I have this." I told her.

"I miss you." She said and I nodded.

"I know Babe, I miss you too." I would miss holding her, the feel of her pressed against my body. The feel of lying beside her waking and pushing myself inside of her. Just thinking about her I felt my dick harden.

"Babe, go ahead and get ready for bed, it's getting late. I will see you tomorrow as soon as I can." I told her.

"Okay Carlos. Goodnight. Sweet Dreams." She told me and I couldn't help but think I will have sweet dreams of you.

"Good night, sweet dreams, Babe." I told her and disconnected the call. I resisted the urge to hang on the line to just hear her breath we were too old for the teenage thing of asking each other to hang up even though the urge was there to keep the connection I had with her even if it was just over the phone line.

I stood up and made my way to the bathroom once again stepping into a shower this time for a completely different reason than the first time.

**Please tell me what you think…Leave a review!**


	45. Chapter 44: Another Day at Rangeman

**Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! For those that have Private messages turned off that left Reviews thank you for the reviews! I love reading every one of them so keep them coming.**

**I want to Thank Margaret Fowler for encouraging this story out of me. When I mentioned it to you 6 – 7 months ago you didn't let it die in my head. You kept pressing for it so here it is finally being written! I hope it is everything you thought it would be.**

**Standard Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine. They belong to JE I just take them out of the box and play with them a little. I have begged to keep Ranger and Lester for myself but I have yet to get a response… **

**Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter to you. I have no excuse except the fact that my life is certifiably crazy at the moment and add to the mix that I got an iPAD last week that sucked what little time I had into playing with it. I promise to do better…hang on because this story is almost done.**

**Chapter 44: Another Day at Rangeman**

**SPOV**

I look over at the clock on the bedside table and sigh. Its four forty five a.m. and I am awake. Truth be told I have been awake most of the night. I have tossed, I have turned, it has been the most restless night of sleep I have had since I had met Carlos.

When I did manage to go to sleep I had nightmares waking me. I felt like shit but the last thing I wanted to do was just lie there continuing the pattern of sleep, nightmare and wake shaking and gasping for air.

Carlos had told me good night and to have sweet dreams but these dreams were anything but sweet. I got up out of the bed groaning as my muscles protested, my mind trying to wake at the knowledge I was up, awake and getting out of bed before daylight. Hell I was up before the chickens, I am pretty sure that is a bad sign. Hell has probably frozen over and cracked at least I would be the first to know, because I am pretty certain everyone else is sleeping. Well everyone except my Merry Men after all someone had to look over the sleeping world and keep them safe.

I am more convinced every day that Carlos and the Merry Men weren't human well not completely human, anyway. They were more along the line of super heroes or possibly demi Gods.

I decided to dress in my workout shorts, sports bra, and t-shirt and head to the gym to prove my theory besides, I needed and wanted some company and I knew they would be gathered in the gym.

I brushed my teeth, pulled my messy knotted hair from twisting and turning in the bed up into a pony tail, grabbing a bottle of water I made my way out of the apartment and into the elevator to head down to the gym.

I still had my walking cast on, and the cast on my arm but I figured I would do what we did during PT walk the treadmill, lounges, sit ups, and work my other arm. It wasn't long before I was looking forward to losing the casts.

I had to confess because everyone had drawn on my cast, I had the coolest cast in the state of New Jersey but I was still looking forward to the day it would be coming off. I was ready to have use of my arm back. More than my cast I wanted to lose the big heavy walking cast on my leg.

I walk into the gym and the guys freeze. They all look at me and if I hadn't spent so much time with some of the guys I would have been scared shitless. All movement stopped, all eyes focused on me, everyone was starring as if they were waiting for me to drop a bomb, or possibly waiting to see if the world was going to end. I looked around the room seeing Lester, Bobby, Tank, Cal, Ram, and the other guys. Some I knew some I didn't know so well. I lifted my hand and waved at everyone. I guess that was the movement that was needed to snap them out of the stupor I had put them all in.

Just wait until I tell Carlos that I caught the Merry Men unaware of their surroundings or maybe drove them to stupor is more accurate, anyway it will be fun telling him.

"Beautiful, what in the hell has you up this time of the morning?" Lester called out as he made his way toward me. I shrugged my shoulders.

"I couldn't sleep so I finally just decided to give it up and thought I would come down work out with you guys." I said. I didn't want to tell him about the nightmares, I didn't want to be the baby that couldn't go a night without Carlos without having nightmares and needing him.

He looked at me and I wasn't sure he brought the whole story but he nodded "okay then have at it, Beautiful." He said motioning to the room at all the options not focusing on the fact that I didn't tell him everything.

I pointed to my leg with the cast "I will probably just walk on the treadmill." I told him as I started making my way over to the treadmills. He walked over to whatever piece of equipment he had exited when I walked in and I started walking on the treadmill.

The music was pumping and as I looked around the gym I didn't get why they had to get up so early to exercise. I could feel the energy of the room and it helped but honestly it would have felt better if it was ten o'clock. At least the music selection was good and I found myself wanting to bop my head and sing along as I walked on the treadmill.

The gym had one other thing going for it this time of morning. Beautiful hard bodies covered in sheen of sweat, muscles rippling under the skin from being worked. The smell of the gym itself was purely intoxicating. I had never been one to enjoy the smell of a gym. In fact I have been known to gag at the smell of some or maybe that was the thought of exercise, I am not certain.

Rangeman gym, the smell was all testosterone, pure male sex and it was nothing short of addictive. I wasn't sure how I was going to explain my desire to come to the gym this early anymore than I could believe I was actually willing to be awake this early, but seeing these guys, smelling them, listening to the pumping music it was really too good to be missing it because of sleep. Add Carlos to the mix and it may just be orgasm inducing good.

The thoughts of Carlos being added to the mix of the guys in the gym caused me to moan out loud before I could stop myself. I looked around the room to see if anyone heard, praying they didn't.

"Beautiful, you alright over there?" Lester yelled out just across from me. He had worked his way to a machine closer to the treadmill I was on. I focused on him, and the sheen of sweat that coated his bare chest, the muscles standing out in attention from having just been worked made him look hotter than ever and my mind was more stuck on what I was seeing than answering what he had asked me. I was actually quiet certain I had forgotten all about the question.

He smiled at my staring at him, as I had yet to say anything. I shook myself out of my stupor enough to speak back. "Yeah I am good." I said a little clipped trying hard to cover up what was going through my mind. I would rather not share all those thoughts with everyone in the gym. I grabbed the water bottle and turned it up taking a sip wondering if it would help cool off the embarrassment of being caught ogling them while they were working out.

The music changed and Lester gave me a sinister smile. He walked over in front of me and as the song started playing he started dancing and singing along.

"When I walk on by, girls be looking like damn he fly. I pimp to the beat, walking on the street in my new lafreak, yeah. This is how I roll, animal print, pants outta control, It's Redfoo with the big afro. And like Bruce Leroy I got the glow"

I rolled my eyes at him and he just smiled continuing to dance to the music flexing his muscles. I had to give it to him he looked amazing. Sexy wasn't even the word for what was moving before me.

Ah... Girl look at that body. Ah... Girl look at that body. Ah... Girl look at that body. Ah... I work out. Ah... Girl look at that body. Ah... Girl look at that body. Ah... Girl look at that body. Ah... I work out"

Yeah you could tell he worked out that went without saying. He continued to strut back and forth in front of my treadmill and I couldn't help the smile that overcame me. He was smiling back and I could see how much fun he was having his eyes sparkling with mischief.

"When I walk in the spot (yeah), this is what I see. Everybody stops and they staring at me, I got passion in my pants and I ain't afraid to show it, show it, show it, show it. I'm sexy and I know it. I'm sexy and I know it"

Yeah he was sexy there was no doubt about that. But when he highlighted the passion in his pants by putting his hands close to his body framing himself with his palms facing each other and his fingers together pointing down I had to look away as the blush rose up my neck and into my face. My actions however, didn't deter him from his as he continued dancing and singing for my enjoyment.

"When I'm at the mall, security just can't fight them off. And when I'm at the beach, I'm in a Speedo trying to tan my cheeks (what). This is how I roll, come on ladies it's time to go. We headed to the bar, baby don't be nervous. No shoes, no shirt, and I still get serviced (watch)"

He spun around showing me his cheeks when he mentioned being on a beach in a speedo and even through my embarrassment I had to look. I wasn't about to turn down a free show of one of the finest asses in Trenton. Carlos had the best but all of the Merry Men had fine ones and Lester's was probably one of the finer ones. I was wondering how much longer he was going to dance because I was going to need a personal fan to cool me down. I made note to try to find one of those water bottles with a built in fan I had seen at amusement parks.

Ah... Girl look at that body. Ah... Girl look at that body. Ah... Girl look at that body. Ah... I work out. Ah... Girl look at that body. Ah... Girl look at that body. Ah... Girl look at that body. Ah... I work out When I walk in the spot (yeah), this is what I see. Everybody stops and they staring at me, I got passion in my pants and I ain't afraid to show it, show it, show it, show it. I'm sexy and I know it. I'm sexy and I know it. Check it out." He sang. I knew the next part.

He was about to wiggle it when Tank yelled out "Santos" and Lester straightened up and stop singing with a look of childhood disappointment on his face. I couldn't help smile even though I wanted to protest that this was the best part of the song but I refrained from making any embarrassing noises or speaking my protests out loud.

He shook his head "Tank, man you ruin all the fun." He said pouting as he walked back over to whatever bench it was he had been using to work out.

I was nearing done on the treadmill. I had been walking longer than I realized. The pain in my leg was telling me it was time to quit. I lower the speed and then stopped the machine. Stepping down I know I winced and I know it wasn't lost on Bobby as his eyes narrowed in on me. I smiled letting him know that I was really okay just walked a little faster, and longer than I was use to.

His head raised slightly his eyes accessing me; I knew I would end up in his office before today was over. I felt self-conscious of him staring at me, did he know. Could he tell just by looking at me? That I hadn't waited to be cleared by him. I felt his eyes on me as I grabbed a towel and dabbed my face, neck and shoulders. Unlike the men in this room sweat did nothing good for me. It didn't accent any part of my body and it made me stink. Sometimes life isn't fair, I have come to determine this is one of those times.

Once I was done and ready to leave the gym I looked back towards Bobby his eyes were still on me I gave him a slight smile, an awkward wave and made my way out of the door happy for the moment to be out of his doctor accessing glare. I knew I would have to face it later but that was later and for now I could forget about it.

Lester walked out of the gym behind me quickly catching up. "Hey Beautiful, are you going with me today to a few more client meetings?" He asked me and I looked at him.

"No more surprises, these are real clients?" I asked him and he nodded smiling.

"Yeah Beautiful no more surprises and yes, these are real clients or to be clients. Not that the one from yesterday aren't a client you saw to it that they are going to be buying a system." He said laughing. I had to smile along with him. His laughter was purely contagious and something I realized I didn't hear enough.

I made my way up to the apartment. It was time to get ready for the day. I walk into our bedroom, and I can't help but look at the bed and remember the night I spent missing Carlos. I put it out of my mind as I made my way into the bathroom.

I took the walking cast off, slipped my clothes off snapped the cast back on my leg walked over to the shower, turned the water on. Slipped my cast off of my leg and stepped in once the water was warm. The feel of the warm water felt great against my skin. My skin was heated from working out my leg was sore but the warm water running down my body was like a soothing balm.

I finally decided I had stood under the warm water long enough and I proceeded to shampoo my hair and wash my body. I stepped out grabbing the towel quickly dried my body and then snapped my cast back on my leg. I wrapped the towel around my body pulled my hair up in a towel and made my way over to the sink. Looking at myself in the mirror I notice I can no longer see every rib, my hips no longer stick out from my body in an unattractive way. My curves are starting to come back and I can't help but smile.

I quickly finished getting dressed for the day, and made my way back into the kitchen. Ella had been in and dropped up breakfast at some point.

I sat down at the table, missing Carlos, I ate and then made my way out of the apartment down to the fifth floor. Walking onto the fifth floor I waved at the guys in the control room and made my way back to my cubicle.

"Hey Gucci." I said to Ram as I walked into my cubicle.

"Hey Steph, how are you this morning?" He asked me and I looked at him debating if I should go with the standard I am fine or tell him more.

"I am good." I went with the easier answer. He looked at me funny, clearly not buying it.

"Steph?" He said and the question was clear. The question was want to run that by me again because I know you are lying. I looked at him.

"Okay, I have had better days, but I am actually okay. Just a little tired." I confessed to him sitting down in my chair switching on my monitor.

"Hey Beautiful" Lester said getting my attention. I turned and looked at him.

"Beautiful I have…" He started to say but paused when he looked at me.

"You okay?" he asked me, what the hell. I thought I looked pretty good today, guess not.

"Yeah I am fine. Didn't you see me in the gym not an hour ago? I was fine, I still am fine." I told him, frustration in my voice. He just raised his eyebrow and Ram was standing behind him giving me the same look that he knew I was full of shit.

"Look guys I didn't sleep that well last night, but honestly I am doing okay. I feel fine. Just a little tired, Okay. So what's up Lester? What do you need?" I asked him a little flustered that I am so transparent.

"Beautiful, I have the file for today's client. I thought I would give you a chance to look it over before we left for the meeting." Lester said.

I held my hand out for the file. "So who is the client?" I asked opening the file he handed me.

"Today's client is an investment company who not only needs a physical system but a cyber-system as well." I looked at him cyber-system? What the hell was a cyber-system? He smiled at me.

"Cyber-system is for the computers. They need to ensure their investment profiles, portfolios, etc are secure. They have asked Rangeman to come up with a plan for that as well as a plan for securing the physical location." He explained.

"Lester I don't know anything about this, how am I going to do this?" I asked him looking at him. He smiled.

"Beautiful, you don't need to know everything. You can learn whatever you need. Hector is the genius when it comes to computer systems. He can get in any system, so he knows how to keep the hackers out." He said and shrugged.

"We just need to sell the systems; we don't need to know every aspect about them. We just talk about the plan, make the suggestions from the plan, explain the pricing, etc." He said making it sound way too simple.

"Lester what happens when they ask questions? What happens when they want to know something we don't know?" I asked him not seeing the total logic in his statement or maybe I was seeing the flaws in his statement. I knew my luck, I knew they would ask a question and then I wouldn't be able to answer it. I would then be left looking like a bumbling idiot, make Rangeman look incompetent, and to top off all of that lose the account.

"Beautiful don't over think it, I will be there to answer any questions they have. If we don't know the answer we tell them, we get the information and we tell them soon as we have the information. None of us know everything a client could ask of us all the time. Don't sweat it." He said his confidence oozing out him. I wish I had that.

I looked at him for a little while fully processing his statements. I finally decided it was better to just agree to it and be thankful that this wasn't something I was doing on my own. I looked over the file and saw the system recommended, as well as the cyber-system. It consisted of specific firewalls, rules, intrusion detection, and different layers of access points including something call a DMZ. I had no idea what most of the stuff was it was all over my head. I gave Lester a look that I know said I can't do this.

I continued to flip through the file and then I came to the personnel section and saw that searches have been done on every employee. "Lester is this something you do for all clients?" I asked pointing to the searches. He nodded.

"Yeah we tend to do them for businesses. Most of the time if there is a problem it starts within. Not all the time, but more time than not it's someone inside or someone who was inside behind the attacks." He said. It made sense. I had watched enough TV to know that was true, at least it was true on TV so that had to mean something, right?

"What time is the meeting?" I asked him and he smiled.

"We will need to leave within the hour. Don't forget to dress, fully." Lester said. I nodded knowing that he meant he wanted me wearing my gun.

"See you in a little bit." I said to say by to him when I saw him turning to leave my cubicle. He gave me a smile and a nod as he made his way out of my cubicle. I turned back to finish reading the file he had left with me.

**TPOV**

I was sitting in my office catching up on some of the less fun paperwork that is Rangeman when my phone rang.

"Yo"

"Yo, man." It was Ranger.

"How are things?" I asked him.

"Well he agreed and you should be getting a package by tomorrow with my release papers. He also called the hit on Stephanie off." He said and I know I breathed a sigh of relief that I tried to cover up with a cough but I know it was heard.

"How is she?" He asked me.

"I guess okay, she came down to the gym this morning at zero five hundred to work out." I told him.

"Did she say why? Normally my Babe doesn't get up that early." I heard a little sign of worry or maybe it was more.

"She didn't say. Santos talked to her but she didn't say why she came down. She worked out on the treadmill for a while and then went back upstairs to get ready. She is working in her cubicle now. She is going with Santos to a client meeting." I told him.

"Tank, keep an eye on her. Tell Santos to keep an eye on her too. Something is off with her being up at that time of the morning. I know the hit is supposed to be called off but keep her covered when she is outside of the building until we are hundred percent sure there is no one out there. That the message has been received by all." He told me.

"Will do." I said

"When are you coming home?" I asked him.

"I want to make sure you get the package with my release papers. Once you do I will be on the helicopter home. Until then I am staying here just in case I need to pay Michaels another visit. If he is smart he will know that I haven't left the area. Did the ears pick anything up?"

"Nothing yet, it's been cricket from that house." I told him. They haven't so much as had a conversation within the walls of his office; he hadn't made a phone call from his home or any of their personal cell phones. He hadn't sent an email either.

"Continue to listen in, at zero eight hundred turn on the ears in his office." Ranger stated.

"Will do. Watch your back man." I warned him, still feeling a little unsettled he didn't have back up.

"Will do." With that he was gone. I hung the phone up and dialed Cal.

"Cal, my office." I said in the phone and hung up a minute or so later Cal was at my door knocking.

"You wanted to see me?" He asked and I nodded motioning to the seat in front of my desk.

"The hit on Stephanie has been called off. However, she is going out with Lester today in less than an hour I want you shadowing her. Ranger wants her protected until we are sure any operative he sent has gotten the message." I told him and he nodded.

"Okay." He said and I nodded releasing him.

"Report back to me immediately if you find anything out of place out there." I told him and he once again nodded before walking out of my office.

I couldn't help but think about Stephanie's first client meeting, Saunders, and her revenge. He had taken advantage of her. He was lucky that Stephanie extracted her revenge and it wasn't one of us or he may be ground up fish food for the Hudson fish at this point.

I had to laugh thinking about the video and how Lester was barely containable as he told the story of what she did. I shook my head smiling she was definitely changing things around here. Before her I hadn't heard Lester laugh that way in a long time. Before her Ranger would have killed his handler without a second thought and while I wasn't sure that wasn't something he wasn't going to have to end up doing him attempting to handle the situation without killing was something new to him, and new to me.

Ranger leaving me behind was something that wouldn't have happened either, I wasn't sure I was completely comfortable with that change. We always had each other's back in the field. It wasn't that Ranger wasn't perfectly capable of watching his own back, he was. It was just sort of my job.

I picked up the phone calling Hector.

"Hector, the hit on Stephanie has been called off." I told him but before I could say anything else Hector started speaking.

"Just because called off, doesn't mean danger not still there." He said and I nodded smiling. This was something else that wouldn't have happened prior to Stephanie. Hector would have never agreed to guard a woman.

"Yeah that is why I am calling you. She is going out with Lester this morning to a client meeting. I want you to do your magic and make sure there is no one out there." I told him.

"Okay." He said sounding happy. I shook my head at the thought of Hector actually being happy and hung the phone up.

Hector was the best when it came to the streets. He knew the streets, he knew the rumors on the street and if someone was after Stephanie then he would know it. He had countless resources on the street. Not all friendly but all feared Hector and none of them were willing to cross him. They were loyal to him maybe not so much because they wanted to be as much as their will for life preservation was too high for them not to be.

There was a knock on my door. I looked up saying "enter" expecting one of the guys. When Stephanie stepped through the door I smiled.

"Tank, I have a question. I tried to find Lester but he wasn't at his desk." She said, I could hear a little nervousness in her voice or maybe it was uncertainty in knocking on my door.

"What's up?" I asked her. She looked down at the folder in her hand and back at me.

"Well I had a question about the client we are going to meet in a little bit and I wasn't sure what to do about it." She said. I motioned her forward directing her to the chair in front of my desk. I reached for the folder which she handed me.

She had it opened to one of the background searches we had done on an employee within the business. I looked up at her raising my eyebrow wondering what her question was, surely Lester told her that this was just standard protocol when we negotiated with a business to do a security system for them we ran background checks on all employees.

"Tank, Lester told me that the background checks are run on all employees. However, if we find something that is off what do we do? Do we point it out? Do we make note of it? Do we ignore it? How do we handle it?" She asked me.

"What's off Steph? Why don't you tell me what's bugging you about the report and then we can figure out what we need to do." I suggested but she hesitated a little bit unsure if she should say anything.

"Well if you look at the report it says his address is 492 Hillsboro drive. However, I happen to know that he doesn't live there." She states and I look up at her. How does she know? I wonder. Does she know him? I wonder but before I say anything she continues.

"He is from the burg, everyone knows everything about everyone from the burg. His mother and my mother as well as all the other burg mothers talk and well because of that I happen to know that while the address listed may be his official address as far as mail, etc he happens to actually live in a house on Gardner Avenue. He lives with his girlfriend who rumor has it is always in trouble. If the rumors are correct, and I don't give a whole lot of weight to them usually, she has been in and out of jail a number of times due to fraud. One time was stolen credit cards, another time was for stealing identities. I also happen to know that he purchased an expensive car about two months ago far more expensive than what his current salary is able to provide. I am not sure why it isn't listed as part of the file there but I didn't see it listed, yet I know he purchased it because my mom went on and on about how successful he is now because he just bought an expensive car. She even wanted to set me up with him." She told me.

"Do you happen to know the girlfriend's name?" I asked her and she thought for a little bit.

"Yeah, it's Alexia Horton, but I think she goes by several different versions of her first name. At least I have heard two Lexie, and Alex." She said. I pulled up the search engines on my computer and put in her name to run a search on her.

"I am running a search on her now." I told Stephanie. This could be huge news, if he was getting information on clients, and inside investment strategies he could be doing serious damage to this company. It would show good that Rangeman discovered the problem and had the proper resolution for the problem when we met with them or at least shortly afterwards.

The computer dinged noting the search was done. I quickly looked and smiled. She had nailed it. I sent it to the printer behind my desk. Grabbing it I handed it to Stephanie. "Little girl you did good." I told her smiling. She looked up at me smiling.

I pointed to a couple things like one she didn't have a job listed, yet she was spending money and had other funds that I knew the origin would be unaccounted for. For a criminal she wasn't too bright no wonder she had been caught two times prior. Her jail time, and arrests were listed and she had a record as long as my arm all centering on fraud and stealing. She seemed non-violent which was good. She had no outstanding warrant which was a little depressing but it wouldn't be long before she would once again be wanted we just needed to link her back to our client's customers, or the business. I had no doubt we wouldn't find some wrong doing it was just a matter of looking for it.

"We are going to take this to our clients to see if they have any indication that there is foul play, if not we will investigate but if they suspect something we will run down their specific suspicions. I suspect they have a feeling that something is wrong that is probably why we were called in the first place. This business isn't new. They are calling us now for a reason and I suspect this is going to be the center of it when we get there. You did good finding this." I told her again and she smiled.

"We had all been over this file, and none of us caught it." I confessed to her.

"Well unless you knew the address was wrong and who his girlfriend was you wouldn't know to catch anything. It all looks on the up and up. I just happen to know that wasn't right." She said minimizing her catch.

"Don't do that. Don't minimize your contribution to this business. Stephanie by you bringing this to our attention we can help a potential client and secure his business for the future. We can also bring two criminals to justice, and save however many people from their identities being stolen, investment secrets from being stolen and sold to other companies. Do not minimize your contribution this is huge, and has a big impact on Rangeman and those in the community. You did good." I told her smiling.

She was blushing looking down embarrassed of my praising her, but she would have to just get use to it. I had no doubts that she would be a huge asset to Rangeman; she just proved it.

**Tell me what you think…Leave a review.**


	46. Chapter 45: I need to tell you

**Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! For those that have Private messages turned off that left Reviews thank you for the reviews! I love reading every one of them so keep them coming.**

**I want to Thank Margaret Fowler for encouraging this story out of me. When I mentioned it to you 6 – 7 months ago you didn't let it die in my head. You kept pressing for it so here it is finally being written! I hope it is everything you thought it would be.**

**Standard Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine. They belong to JE I just take them out of the box and play with them a little. I have begged to keep Ranger and Lester for myself but I have yet to get a response… **

**Hopefully everyone has been enjoying the 30****th**** Olympics and cheering on your fellow countrymen to victory! Team USA is doing great…and I wanted to send a special shout out to Michael Phelps, and Gabby Douglas! Way to go! Michael is now the most decorated Olympiad of all time with 20 medals at 16 of them GOLD! Gabby brought home the Gold in the all around gymnastics with some amazing performances as well as being a big contributor to Gymnastic Team USA getting gold the first time since 1996! It is amazing what every one of them can do how dedicated they all are to what they do! **

**Now on with the chapter! I Hope you enjoy it…it may be a little rough as I didn't get all the time I needed to edit it…but I figured a chapter was better than no chapter…I hope you enjoy!**

**Chapter 45: I need to tell you…**

**SPOV**

I was so excited I was buzzing. I wanted to celebrate and I debated asking Lester if we could go for another celebratory ice cream but decided that if every time we had something to celebrate that we would be going every day. Not a bad deal but I doubted he would do that to his perfect body.

We had just walked out of the investment company, contract signed. In fact the client was so happy that I had discovered their problem before they even told us that they decided to go with our plan of action without any further negotiations. They didn't even attempt to negotiate price or any of the recommendations.

"Beautiful, you definitely have the touch. Most customers negotiate everything ask if the recommendations are needed, many times wanting to know why they were suggested. Because of you, they agreed to everything. Not that they shouldn't have agreed to it was a solid plan that protected them. But many customers don't know what they really need, and they are so use to companies like ours ripping them off that they sometimes want to pick at everything to ensure that we aren't."

I smiled at him. I felt great. It felt great knowing I helped the company. I felt bad for Jonathan after all the company fired him, on the spot. They are opening an investigation into his behavior, reviewing their current client accounts to see what damages were done. They will more than likely file charges against him, and his girlfriend. Now if they will be around when that happens, I am not certain but that isn't my problem.

I briefly wondered how proud my mom would be to hook me up with him now that he was a criminal, jobless, more than likely car less, and crème de la crème a jailbird. Now that is something to be proud of, but he is a burg man, alas he will somehow survive all of this and somehow remain worthy of marrying and procreating life because any child would be thrilled to have those genes. I roll my eyes at the thought of how stupid burg traditions and thoughts were.

"Beautiful, you okay over there?" I hear Lester say, pulling me from my thoughts of the burg. I look over at him.

"Yeah, why?" I ask.

"Well you were making like manic noises, rolling your eyes, and sort of smiling but it was like in an evil way." He said

"Well I was thinking about the Jonathon and how the burg would see him now." I told him and Lester nodded.

"You know the burg is its own little odd social anomaly, I wouldn't be surprised if sociology majors didn't study the burg for their thesis." I said.

"What do you mean?" Lester asked me.

"Lester, the burg is its own thing. The people there are crazy nut jobs, all of them. Granted my parents live there, one of my best friends lives there and I love them but they have a weird sense of the world as if they live in that single little bubble left over from the forties or maybe fifties but never grew with time as the rest of the world." I explained but I could tell he needed more.

"For example, the men are expected to work and bring home the pay check for the family. The women are expected to stay at home. They are expected to have and raise the children, teaching them the ways of the burg along the way. They are supposed to cook, clean, and provide for their husband's by doing things like ironing his underwear." I told him, causing Lester to just look at me.

"The women, when they aren't cooking, cleaning, taking care of their kids or house gossip about their lives, their children's lives mostly but any and everything they can say about their family or their kids that raises their status in the burg they will say. All the while they are raising their children up they are finding as much dirt on the other kids from the burg to use to lower them. They will repeat anything that is remotely a story even make shit up to bring some down while elevating their children and status. It is really quite exhausting unless you are one of the participants and I guess they get something from doing it or maybe it is such a tradition in their lives growing up they don't know the difference." I explained.

"Well you aren't like that, you came from the burg." Lester said and I smiled, no I wasn't like that. I was never like that, and I was never the burg.

"That is because I am a black sheep among a field of beautiful pristine perfect white sheep. I have always been the black sheep and always will be. I am the one that all the other mother's talk about. I am the black sheep the one that no one could ever do anything with. I have been an embarrassment and disappointment to my mother from the beginning. I think I gave her trouble as a baby and it never stopped my entire life. I guess my mother never had anything good to say about me, to raise me up so the other mothers just kept tearing me down. I have always sort of been the outcast. The burg had never had a female child that couldn't cook, couldn't dance, and didn't want to clean or have babies and want to go to college instead of finding a perfect burg man. They didn't know what to do with me other than talk about me." I confessed. It saddened me a little bit seeing the cold reality of it.

While I hated how rich in tradition my mother was when it came to burg life it saddened me that it had taken such a toile on our relationship as mother daughter.

"Beautiful I haven't known you long but I really don't see how you could have disappointed and embarrassed anyone. The time you have been at Rangeman and the work you have done there I couldn't be more proud of you. I know Ranger is going to be proud when he hears about today. The way you have been doing your PT and taking care of yourself since you came to Rangeman well that is something to be proud of too. I don't get it this all can't be a new you." He said.

"Lester all of that might be good, the work I did for E.E. Martin was good, at least I think I did a good job and they seemed to like my work as well. I did well at college, graduated with good solid grades. I wasn't the genius but I wasn't the flunky either. But in the eye of the burg none of that matters because that is all stuff that I shouldn't have been doing. In their eyes I should be married to Joe, I should probably have at least two possibly three children by now. I should live in a house, with a picket fence, and dog. I would be cooking and cleaning all day long, taking care of my children and a house." I explained to him.

"Now if that was my life I would be successful, someone revered, and respected in the burg. If I washed the windows weekly and baked goodies to take the sick then I could even obtain an elevated status within the burg. I would be considered burg royalty, of an essence. Once you reach that status you are untouchable, your kids are untouchable, and ultimately you can say anything about anyone else and pass your judgments to all. Because all will listen to you and all will do what you want, what you say. It's actually a very powerful and coveted role in the burg." I explained to him as he just listened to me.

"Oh one other thing, the burg men. Well in the burg the men get by with anything. Everyone turns a blind eye. Most of the men mess around on their women. The men can do whatever they want, as much as they want and nothing will be said, at least not in public. Even the wives turn a blind eye to their husbands, it's rather sickening." I told him, deciding to give him an example.

"Joe's mother has one of those powerful coveted position within the burg and has for a long time. Her husband was the biggest womanizer ever known. He even beat her and the kids when he was drinking. No one would dare say anything because they were the Morelli's and Angie held the coveted spot within the burg so no one else in the burg ever saw a thing, discussed a thing that man ever did. Including Angie, she acted as though nothing was happening." I said shaking my head still unable to understand her putting up with all that man did to her.

"Same thing with Joe do you think when he did what he did to me it was talked about in the burg?" I paused for a moment to catch my breath and get my emotions under control as they were starting to swing a direction I didn't want them to go. Lester looked at me and I could see him starting to question where I was taking this conversation as he was driving the SUV. I could also see him questioning if he was suppose to answer my question that I hung out there or not. I cut him some slack from my ranting and answered it.

"No, not a thing was said about him, ever. Me, now me they talked about me like crazy. I don't even want to remember some of the things that were said. But the only way I would have ever made that right, or I will ever make that right in their eyes is if I were to marry Joe Morelli. Until then I am a black sheep, a black swan, a ugly duckling, a toy on the land of misfit toys, have your pick, as far as the burg is concerned." I confessed, unable to keep the sadness out of my voice.

I wasn't saddened by the fact the burg saw me as a misfit; I was saddened because of what it all meant. Because the burg saw me that way, my mother saw me that way, my sister saw me that way. I didn't belong and I would never belong as far as they were concerned.

"Beautiful, I don't know what the fuck is wrong with those people. But I say fuck them with someone else's dick." He said and I couldn't help but smile at him.

"I know that you have a whole building of people who believe you belong. I know you have a total badass ranger, the best sniper in the world, which allows you to call him Gucci and threaten to put him in a rhinestone collar. I know you have one of the most feared people on the streets of Trenton protection; I also know you have the world's deadliest mercenary negotiating with his handler instead of just killing him." Lester said and I just looked at him with my mouth gaped open.

So many questions were flying through my head I didn't know which one to ask first.

"Lester, I don't know about all that. You somehow make it all seem so much more than it is really is. I mean Ram is a good guy. I am sure if someone called him a nickname he would be okay with it." I stated. Lester just shook his head.

"Beautiful we all call each other nicknames from time to time some of them aren't so great names but I am quite certain anyone else in the building try to nickname him Gucci and put a rhinestone collar on him, they would find their ass knocked out." I dropped the whole Gucci thing. This was new territory for me and I wasn't quite certain how to handle the information Lester had just given me.

"Lester what do you mean I have protection from the most feared person in Trenton? Is Ranger the most feared person?" I asked and Lester just shook his head no.

"He is feared Beautiful, but he isn't the most feared person. Hector, is the most feared. He used to be a former gang member. Not from any of the gangs here but in Miami. When it comes to the streets and the gangs on the streets none of them will cross Hector. They will do what he wants, give up the information he wants. To date of knowing him I have never known him to use the gang to protect someone." He said.

"How is he using them to protect me? I mean I haven't seen any gang members following me, or anything." I asked him trying to sort out all that he had told me in my head. He smiled.

"Beautiful there are all kind of ways to protect someone. It isn't always that you are followed. They have kept their ears to the street. Anyone come around asking questions, trying to find information, well they set them straight." He said.

"Has anyone come around asking questions or information on me that they had to set straight?" I asked him and he pursed his lips together and I could tell by the own eyebrow he knitted them together. He wasn't sure what to say.

"Tell me, tell me the truth." I told him my voice not really sounding like my own.

"Beautiful let's just say they have proved worthy and useful twice now." He said as if he was going to drop it but this concerned me, and I wasn't going to let it drop. I wanted to know.

"Lester what does that mean? Two times now they have stopped someone who was trying to find out about me? What were they trying to find out? How did they stop them?" I asked questions flying through my head.

Lester looked over at me. It looked like he sighed as he pulled the SUV over to the curb and put it in park, killing the engine.

"Beautiful, you don't need to worry about this." But I did and from the look in my face he nodded as if reading my mind that I did in fact need to know about this.

"Two times now someone has been asking about you. They wanted to know if anyone on the streets knew anything about you, where you were, your patterns." MY eyebrows knitted together.

"Why would they ask gang members on the streets? How would gang members know about me, what I do?" I asked out loud not really understanding what information they would get from them or why they would even consider asking one.

"Well you know Ranger's handler threatened you. Well in that threat two operatives responded to date that we know of. They were trying to gain information not only on you but on Rangeman as well and well they thought the local gangs would know the most about us. It's what operatives do they find people who they think know the most about the subject that they want to target and they pay them good money for information. In this case, they happen to fear Hector more than any money that could ever be offered to them." He said I couldn't help but think it made sense.

"Okay, so what happened when they came asking about me? If they didn't take the men's money then what did they do?" I asked.

"Well they handled it. I am quite certain they got the money offered but then took care of the problem for us." He stated. They had killed for me? Is that what he meant by took care of the problem? They don't' even know me and they took care of it?

"Lester when you say they took care of the problem do you mean…" I was glad I didn't have to finish the whole situation because I could feel myself getting light headed at the thoughts that were going through my mind. Lester dragged his finger across his neck to indicate what I thought and I felt my body sway.

"Beautiful you okay?" That was a million dollar question was I okay? I had just been told that someone I had never met nor knew had killed for me. Not once but twice all because Hector, who they feared, had told them to protect me.

I felt my head being pushed down between my legs "Beautiful breath and push back against my hand. It's okay. You are okay. You are getting upset over nothing." He said. I wasn't quite certain it was nothing. Two people had been killed because of me. Granted they were here to kill me, so better them than me right? But still, it is hard to maintain that point of view when you just heard that someone you didn't know from Adam. Someone who you would more than likely never met or ever know had done something like that because of you; for you. I didn't know how to feel. I took several deep breaths in until I felt myself return more to normal. When I nodded my head Lester's hand released my head and I slowly rose back up looking at him.

"You okay?" He asked me and I just looked at him. Was I okay? I didn't think I was okay. I mean I was okay on the outside but on the inside I wasn't okay. I shook my head no.

"Beautiful don't think about it too hard." He said and my eyes snapped to him.

"Don't think about it too hard? I am getting upset over nothing?" I say repeating his words back to him with questions and a sound of disbelief in my voice. "Lester, are you listening to yourself?" I asked him a little frustration showing in my voice.

He went to say something and I cut him off.

"Lester, you just told me that someone I don't know, will probably never know has killed someone for me. Not one time but two times. What happens now? I mean what happens when the police investigate their murders? What happens when they get caught? They go to jail. I am free how is that fair? How am I over thinking that, or getting upset over nothing?" I said my voice growing higher and louder. I was mad as much as I was upset that someone had done this.

"Beautiful, they are gang members, who took out a mercenary. The bodies more than likely will never be discovered. If it were by chance it wouldn't lead to anything, they would never figure out who they were or what they were here for. If you are worried about it coming back to you it won't. Even if they managed to figure out who it was, which will never happen there will be no connection to you." He said.

"I don't care if there is a connection to me. These people did this, what happens if it comes back to them? Or God forbid Hector, or Ranger. Then what?" I said feeling a little overwhelmed. The thoughts of something coming back on Ranger, Rangeman, or any of the guys caused me to become more upset. I knew I was going to be fighting back tears before this was over and they were now threatening to fall.

"Beautiful, please know it is okay. We aren't going to let someone come here and hurt you. We will do anything and take whatever blow back comes with it happily." Lester said and I sobered a little bit and looked at him.

I went to say something but he interrupted me.

"Trust me Beautiful you are the best of all us. You are the light in our eyes, the laugh in our voices, the feeling in our hearts. It's you. None of us are going to let anyone take any of that away from us. We will give our lives, give anything to protect it."

Hearing his words, filtering their meaning through my mind knocked the wind out me. I could no longer remember what my arguments were. I couldn't feel the fire within that had upset me. I felt as though my heart stopped beating, my mind stopped working, my breath halting as his words and their meaning filtered in.

I looked at him questioning him. He nodded his head answering my question. Tears threatened to fall as my vision became impaired by the tears in my eyes. "Beautiful, please don't cry. I didn't mean to make you cry. Please." I heard Lester say and figured the tears had broken lose. Hearing his words didn't help hold them in if anything it caused them to fall harder.

"Shit" I heard as I heard the click of him unbuckling my seat belt and his arms pulling me toward him so I was leaning over the console as he put my head on his shoulder and his arms around me. "Beautiful please I don't know what to do when women cry." I thought you are doing okay.

I took a deep breath trying my best to get the tears under control. As I pulled back I told him what I needed to say.

"Lester I am touched deeply. Know that I feel the same way about you all that is why hearing this was so upsetting. I would never want to be the reason something happened to any of you. I love Carlos with all my heart and if something happened to him because of me, either he was doing something for me, or he did something because of me I wouldn't be able to handle it. I am worried about him meeting with his handler over me. I won't even tell you all the scenarios that have been going through my head." I confessed to him.

"I have never belonged anywhere before and I feel like I belong here with you guys and Carlos, I have from the beginning. I never had that before. You all are in my heart, and soul and I would never want any of you to be harmed in anyway because of me." I said.

"Beautiful you said it you never felt like you belonged before so you don't know how it is. What would you do if you knew something was going to happen to one of us but you could stop it?" He asked me and I felt like that was an odd question.

"I would do whatever I could in my power to stop it." I said practically without thinking, the words just flowing out of my mouth.

"Exactly" Lester said pausing nodding his head. "That is no different for us. We will do anything to stop it. Our powers are just different than yours." Lester said.

And I gave him a glare was he making fun of Wonder Woman? Because last I checked she could hold her own when it came to Super Heroes she had just gotten the short end of the stick as there hadn't been movie, after movie made about her like the others.

"Lester I am pretty sure Wonder Woman could hold her own. She has special powers." I told him and he smiled at me the air in the SUV lightening with my comment.

"Touche Beautiful, that she does. She has very special powers." He said smiling at me.

"Damn straight she does." I said smiling back.

He started the SUV pulled back into traffic as we made our way back to Rangeman. I was going to have to have a talk with Carlos when he came home. I couldn't wait for him to come home. I missed him, I was worried about him, and I needed to tell him that I loved him more than anything in this world.

**RPOV**

My Phone rang. I picked it up looking at the number, Tank.

"Yo" I answered.

"Yo, man. I got a packaged currier delivered today. It's what you wanted. Your contract fulfilled." He told me and I couldn't help but smile.

"It says honorably discharged, contract fulfilled?" I questioned him.

"Yeah man even has you listed as retired." He put emphasis on retired.

"Fuck you Tank. I will show you how a retired man can kick your ass on the mats when I get back." I threatened him.

"Well you got get our old retired ass home first, so I think I am safe for a while. Besides your woman will be so happy to see you I am pretty sure she will wear your ass out." He said and the images just those words filtering through my mind was causing my body to react and I needed to get it together.

"Jealous, much?" I asked him unable to stop myself.

"Damn Straight" He said and hung the phone up. I couldn't help but smile.

I opened my phone up. "Pick me up, rooftop ASAP." I said into the phone waiting on a response.

"Roger, eta thirty." He said I nodded closing the phone. It was time to go home. It was none too soon. I was happy with the fact that Michaels had used a currier to deliver the papers. I had made an impression on him and he was doing what I had demanded.

I wasn't dumb enough to not keep certain checks in place to ensure that he didn't do anything else but as far as my contract went I was a free man. Before Stephanie it wouldn't have been something I wanted now with Stephanie in my life it was something that I couldn't want any more even if my own life depended on it.

I was looking forward to getting back to Rangeman. I missed my Babe, I wanted to see her, hold her, and I could only pray that she would wear me out like Tank said. More than any of that though I needed to talk to her, I needed to tell her how much I loved her. How much I wanted her and needed her to be a part of my life whatever part she wanted.

I quickly gathered the few things on the sink counter in the bathroom. I was ready to head to the roof top.

**Tell me what you think…Leave a review…**

**Sorry for the poorly edited chapter, but it's been crazy and today is even more so, so I didn't get the time needed to really edit the chapter. I do apologize!**


	47. Chapter 46: Coming Home

**Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! For those that have Private messages turned off that left Reviews thank you for the reviews! I love reading every one of them so keep them coming.**

**I want to Thank Margaret Fowler for encouraging this story out of me. When I mentioned it to you 6 – 7 months ago you didn't let it die in my head. You kept pressing for it so here it is finally being written! I hope it is everything you thought it would be.**

**Standard Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine. They belong to JE I just take them out of the box and play with them a little. I have begged to keep Ranger and Lester for myself but I have yet to get a response… **

**Hopefully everyone has been enjoying the 30****th**** Olympics and cheering on your fellow countrymen to victory! Team USA is doing great…Michael is now the most decorated Olympiad of all time with 22 medals! I want to also take a moment to single two other Olympian Oscar "Blade Runner" Pistorius running in the Olympics as the first ever amputee being a double amputee. He did an amazing job. He should be an inspiration to everyone of us both athlete and non athlete. He is definitely an example of what the human body can do even against all odds. The other Olympian I want to single out was a competitor of Oscar's in the men's 400. Kirani James, from what they have shown, he has said, and done he seems like such a nice person, one that everyone can learn something from! He is 19 years old. Yet his sportsmanship, and his humanity seem to be years older. He switched nametags with Oscar when he didn't qualify for the finals. He brings home the first medal not to mention it was gold for Grenada. When asked for an autograph for a fan's daughter he writes …..Your mom is so proud of you and signs it. How cool is that? He seems like such a genuinely nice guy.**

**Now on with the chapter! I Hope you enjoy it…This story is coming to an end. Friday's posting will be the final chapter!**

**Chapter 46: Coming Home….**

**RPOV**

By the time I got back to Rangeman it was later than I wanted it to be. Tank, Lester and Bobby were still in their offices but my Babe had gone back up to our apartment. Where I wanted to be but I wanted to find out what had happened while I was gone.

"Man you should have seen her she was brilliant." Lester said. I looked at him.

"I showed her the client's file before we left. Well she happened to know one of the employees. He is from the burg. Let me tell you that the burg is one fucked up place and her mother, well she is queen of the fucked up if you ask me. Anyway he is from the burg and she knew him but what she knew about him turned out to be that he and his girlfriend had been robbing the company blind. The company still isn't certain exactly what they have been up to. They fired him, opened an investigation into his activity, and signed the contract with all of our recommendations for both the physical system as well as the cyber system without any negotiating of the price or services." Lester went on t tell me you could hear the excitement and how proud he was of her in his voice.

Hearing everything he told me I couldn't help but feel proud of her as well. Our clients were responding well to her, not that I believed any different.

Tank spoke up. "She came in here asking me what to do if something on the report was wrong. I had no idea what to first make of it, it was only after she pointed out what she knew that I knew how huge it would be for our client. She wasn't certain at first if she should say anything." He said and I looked at him.

"I hope you told her that anything like that she should bring to our attention. She should never be afraid to speak up or say anything regardless of what it is." I said and they all nodded hearing the commanding level of my voice. If there was an issue, I never wanted her second guessing herself. I wanted her to know that she could speak up and tell us anything, any of us.

"She joined us in the gym this morning. She said she didn't sleep well." Lester said. I looked at him.

"She didn't say why she didn't sleep well, just that she didn't. But, I think she had a good time in the gym." Lester said smiling.

"Well I am certain it wasn't your singing and dancing in front of her." Tank said and I looked at Lester raising my eyebrows. He just shrugged his shoulders, not making any further comments.

"Oh you aren't so sexy and know it now, are you, Santos?" Tank said and I quirked my eyebrow at him. He shrugged clearly his face showing he was busted, big time.

"Mats zero five hundred tomorrow." I said and he nodded looking none too pleased with himself. Maybe next time he would think twice before he wiggled his dick in front of my Babe.

"I believe you have a package for me?" I asked Tank trying to get this conversation back where I wanted it to be. I wanted to collect the package and go see my Babe. Tank nodded and handed me the package that was delivered earlier today.

I flipped open the flap pulled the papers, scanning them they were exactly as I ordered. Service completed, contract fulfilled, honorably discharged. I pushed them back into the envelope; I will share them with my Babe tonight.

"Anything else I need to know?" I asked them before I left the room. Lester nodded his head not looking too happy. I looked at him thinking what now.

"We were talking after the client meeting and she was bringing up a lot of shit with her family, the burg, etc. Well in all of that and trying to get her to see that she has a place among us, I told her." He said pausing I looked at him but I could see he really wasn't sure how to continue this conversation.

"You told her what?" I asked him wondering what the fuck did he open is big mouth and tell now.

"I told her that there have been two people here in Trenton from the hit that was placed on her but that both had been neutralized by the help of Hector's influence." He said and I looked at him.

I hadn't wanted her to know about that. I didn't want her to know that there were actually two hit men that had come here looking to kill her. I didn't want her to know how close the danger had actually gotten to her.

I was grateful for Hector and his street influences and what they were willing to do to stay on Hector's good side. I would never forget that and I would find a way to pay the gang back in some way. I appreciated them protecting my Babe.

I knew it was done for Hector more than my Babe, they didn't know her. She didn't mean shit to them but because she meant something to Hector she now meant something to them. They would protect her to keep from having Hector after them. They weren't stupid they knew what would happen if they ended up on the bad side of Hector. It was becoming quite clear you messed with Stephanie, or hurt Stephanie and you would find yourself on the bad side of a lot of deadly men in Trenton not just Hector.

She was stealing all of our hearts and I was happy that the men I trusted the most were welcoming her into Rangeman. She was here whether they wanted her or not but it made everyone lives easier that they wanted her to be here as much as I did. The fact that they accepted her was willing to protect her and that they wanted her to be a part of their lives made me even more proud to serve with them.

These were my brothers, my family and it would have been tough had they not accepted Stephanie. However, I would have chosen her over all of them had there been a choice. I wouldn't have wanted to but I can breathe without them, it doesn't feel like I can without her.

"How did she take it?" I asked him. He sighed which I was taking as not too good.

"Well at first she got upset. She almost lost it to the point of causing herself to hyperventilate. But she got over it and let me talk to her a little more. I think when it was all over said and done with she was okay although she may want to talk to you a little more about it. I think in the end she was more worried about what would happen to us and the gang bangers if they were caught." He said and I shook my head. Leave it up to her to be worried about everyone else except herself.

"So how was she when she got back here?" I asked him.

"She seemed okay." He said shrugging his shoulders. I shook my head.

"What, you ask me like I am a fucking expert on women's emotions. She wasn't crying, she wasn't upset she seemed like she was normal. I don't know what else to fucking say." He said defending his comment about her being okay.

I nodded my head one time. "Anything else?" I asked. Bobby spoke up, fuck was it going to end.

"I need to see her in the clinic but it can wait until tomorrow. She may have over done it on the treadmill this morning. I noticed what looked like a wince when she stepped down off of it. It may have been nothing but her stepping down, as Lester said he didn't notice her favoring her leg today. I haven't pushed the issue I figured I would catch up with her tomorrow or if she was hurting bad enough she would find me." He said and I nodded and he continued.

"I think she was sort of avoiding me since the two of you went against my orders. She was feeling too guilty to look me in the eye." He said and I cut my eyes to him.

"You say anything to her?" I asked him and he shook his head, no. Good or I would have another appointment for mat time tomorrow. I nodded.

"If that is all, I am heading upstairs." I stated they all nodded their heads. I gave a nod and walked out of the office. I had missed her in the short time I had been gone. It was an emotion that I wasn't really familiar with but it felt good in a way.

I ran up the stairs entered the apartment but all was quite. I looked into the living room as I walked by but she wasn't in there. I continued on down the hall way I could see she wasn't in the kitchen. I paused at the bedroom door.

Looking in she was lying across the bed, sleep. She had her body wrapped in a towel, and a towel on her pillow under her wet hair. My dick went hard at the thought of her being naked under the towel. It was all I could do to walk past her to the bathroom. I quickly undressed, hopped into the shower. I was hoping I could quickly shower and not wake her. I wanted to have a chance to join her on the bed.

I quickly washed my body, dried myself off and wrapped a towel around my waist. I stepped back into the bedroom and she was still lying there asleep. I walked over to the bed and lowered myself down beside her careful not to wake her. I put my arms around her and pulled her closer to me so her body was touching mine. I was home. I felt like I had come home for the first time in my life.

I had been on missions, countless missions, and been glad to come home. Been thankful to make it home back to Rangeman but none of those times no matter how thankful I was to make it back alive did it feel like this. This felt like it was so much more. Having her body pressed against mine us lying in our bed being able to touch her in ways that I craved for the past two days. The feeling was foreign to me, but it was better than any I had ever felt. I buried my nose in her hair pulling in a deep breath through my noise, smelling her scent.

She started to arouse waking up in my arms and I found myself caught between wanting her to be awake so I could make love to her, and remaining sleep so I could just hold her and selfishly take all of her in.

Her eyes opened up and settled on me and I smiled her lips curling up in a smile as she pushed the sleep from her eyes. She stretched slightly realizing she was still wrapped in a towel she went to pull herself up off the bed but I just held on tighter not quite ready to have her out of my arms.

"Hi."

"Hi." I said back to her smiling.

"When did you get in?" She asked me taking in the fact that my chest was bare and I had a towel wrapped around my waist.

"Just a little bit ago; I took a shower then laid down beside you so I could hold you while you slept." I told her as I lowered my lips to her placing a kiss on her soft lips. The feel of her lips had my eyes rolling in the back of my head, my dick hardening to the point that it was threatening the towel's fold to remain on my waist.

I bit back the urge to moan at how wonderful it all felt. Her weight in my arms, the feel of her skin against mine and the feel of her lips all felt like little pieces of heaven that had been bestowed to me. I don't know what I did to deserve them, but I knew I would never take them for granted, I would never abuse them, and I would forever protect them.

Our lips parted and she pulled her head back from me. I wasn't thrilled but I raised my head up looking down at her. "Everything go okay?" She asked me her eyes watching mine. I nodded.

"Yeah all went okay. He agreed, like I told you but just so you can see for yourself." I said as I reached over and grabbed the envelope from the nightstand and handed it to her. She sat up holding her towel so it wouldn't open and started opening the envelope.

I watched as her eyes scan the paper work. Taking in the document she would look at me and then look back to the document.

"So you are free. How does it feel?" She asked me and I smiled at her. There was a point in my life when I would have never wanted this.

"It feels good, laying here besides you right now it feels really good." I tell her and she smiles but then the smile drops and she looks at me.

"Carlos, I know this is a big step for you, are you sorry you did this?" She motions to the papers in her hand. I shake my head no.

"Babe, there was a point in my life that I never imagined doing anything else other than running missions and Rangeman. There was always something about the missions that drove me. The danger, the challenge, the adrenaline it caused I won't lie to you it is addictive. However, a few weeks ago something came crashing into my life that changed all of that. That little crash, well maybe not so little, gave me something that is so much greater, more fulfilling and more consuming than any mission ever could be. Having you in my life has made me want things I never thought I would ever want." I explained to her.

She put her arms around me as mine circled her and she held me to her as I tightened my hold on her.

"Carlos, I feel the same way. I want things with you that I have never wanted. Things I swore I would never want." She said with a shaky voice. I knew she was fighting back tears and I was only hoping they were happy tears.

I pulled back cupping her face in my hands holding her close to my face so I could stare into her beautiful shiny bright eyes. She needed to see me for what I was about to tell her. She needed to know how real this was for me. How much I meant this, and how much I wanted this.

"Babe, I need to tell you how much I love you. How much I want you in my life; need you in my life. I would give up any contract, anything necessary to have you stand beside me; with me. Know that nothing in my life will ever be more important than you. There may be things I can't tell you, such as the missions I have gone on, but know that you are the last person I want to keep things from. You are the person that I want to open my heart to, bare my soul to. You are the one person I want to tell my secrets, my dreams, even my nightmares to." I told her as I watched the tears start to run down her cheeks.

I quickly used my thumbs to wipe them off. "Please don't cry, I hate to see you cry." I confessed.

"Carlos these are happy tears. I can't help it I am overwhelmed and they just sort of came out. I love you. I think I have loved you from the moment I woke up in the hospital room. I want to be the person you share your life with, but I want to share my life with you. I want you to know my secrets, my dreams, and my nightmares too. I want you to know that I didn't know love, that I didn't know what it meant to have a soul mate until I found you." She said as my arms tightened around her pulling her to me. I needed these towels between us to be gone. I needed to feel her skin against my skin.

I pulled her further towards me as I lay back down. She followed but after my kiss she pulled away propping herself up on my chest looking me in the eye. She wasn't done talking.

"Carlos, Lester told me some things today that I want to ask you about." I wasn't sure at that point if I should allow Lester to live or not. I could hear a quiver of uncertainty in her voice.

"You can ask me anything, Babe. I will do my best to answer it as honestly and truthful as I can, depending on what it is about." I told her.

"Well he said several things actually. He told me that the guys here have accepted me." She said and I nodded. That seemed to be a given to me. They all seemed to love her. "He also told me that I have Hector's protection. That Hector has a following on the street that he has influence over that he has used to keep me safe." I once again nodded finding her choice of words odd to describe the gang on the street. Most people would have judged in a way that they were either afraid or disgusted of the gang members.

"Yeah Babe, he has influence when it comes to the streets." I told her using her same words. It was better than saying they listened to him because they feared for their lives.

"He told me that someone, he didn't know who or how many, have killed two men because of me." She said and I could see her mind working through what he had told her as she was telling me. I had my arms around her I pulled my right hand off of her back and pushed an unruly curl behind her ear before I answered her.

Smiling at her I began. "Yes, Babe, someone from the streets did. I don't know who it was either. I only know that two hit men had been asking about you at two separate times. They were trying to get some information on you they were taken care of and that they will never pose another threat to you." I told her.

"When did that happen? When did you find out?" She asked me.

"I found out just a few days ago. The night before I left to go have a chat with my handler. It was one of the driving factors for talking with him to get him to remove the hit he had on you." I told her pulling her up my body more so I could kiss her lips again.

She returned the kiss but pulled back again. "Carlos, what happens if they get caught? What happens if it gets back to Rangeman or to Hector or god forbid you?" She asked and I could hear a slight edge of panic in her voice.

"Babe, don't get upset. The gang is more than knowledgeable of how to take someone out. If they ever found a body there would be nothing to identify him with but fake name, fake history. It will be a gang related death nothing linking it back to Rangeman, Hector, or myself. Nothing to date has been discovered and I doubt that it ever will. Trenton police don't really focus on gang deaths, they would rather not know about them." I told her.

"Carlos, they killed for me. How am I supposed to feel about that? I don't know how to feel about it. I mean people I don't know, never met killed someone because they were a threat to me. Not one time but twice." She said once again I saw tears in her eyes and I knew these weren't the happy tears she had moments ago. I wasn't sure what to tell her but I was relieved that she had the protection. That they had protected her, I knew it wasn't because of her. It was because of having to answer to Hector if they didn't but in the end it was to my Babe's benefit and that was all that mattered.

"I can't tell you how to feel. I can only tell you how I feel and hope that on some level you will feel the same or at least understand. I realize the value of someone else's life is different for me than it is for you. But I am not a monster that enjoys the killing of innocent lives." I confessed to her not sure if that was entirely the whole truth as much as it was the truth I wanted for myself.

"I am glad that you are protected. I don't care if it is a gang member on the street, every one of the men in this building, or me. I forever will want you protected. I never want to see you harmed, hurt, or God forbid taken from me and if it takes everyone of us to make sure that doesn't happen then I will never be sorry and I will be able to live with whatever that means. What I have come to find out about myself is the one thing I can't live without and that is you. I can't lose you now that I have you." I confessed to her. I had opened myself up to her to the point that it felt like I was bleeding. But she had to know how I felt; she had to know what she meant to me.

She lowered her head down on my chest and I felt moisture hit my chest. I cupped her face pushing her hair back and held her to me. I knew she was too overwhelmed with the weight of my confession to speak at the moment so I just held her. I knew she was filtering in my words to her and I hoped that she would respond by saying she couldn't live without me.

After a few minutes she picked her head up and looked at me. Her eyes still swimming with tears. "Carlos, I don't know how I feel about that. I do know that I would be willing to give everything I had to protect you. I don't want to think about someone giving their life for mine, or taking another life to protect mine but I know I would want them to do it to protect yours. Like you, I have come to learn that I can't live without you. Hell last night was hard enough not having you in bed beside me. I missed you. I worried about you. I wanted you here. I know it sounds like I am needy, and I will try to never be that way, but I really wanted you home and in bed with me when it came time to go to sleep." She said and I pulled her further up my body and claimed her lips. Turning her so she was lying back on the bed and I was hovering above her I kissed her for everything I felt.

I wasn't going to break my connection with her to tell her I wanted her with me last night. Instead I decided to show her how much I wanted her as I pulled at the towel where it was tucked to pull it from around her body exposing her beautiful body to me.

Her arms wrapped around me as her hands started rubbing up and down my back then settling around my neck. The sensation of her moving her hands up and down caused wave after wave of desire to build up within me. No one had ever affected me the way she does with a single touch my skin feels electrified as a pulse runs throughout my body bringing it to life.

As I use one hand to hold my body up off of hers I run the other one down along her side. Feeling her body the fullness of her breast as my hand moves down her side, to how her stomach curves in from the size of her rib cage and then back out with the curves of her hips. I notice how I am feeling skin with muscle and flesh and not just bones and I can't help the joy that surges through me as I deepen the kiss the need for her growing more with every passing second.

It takes everything within me to hold myself back from surging between her legs filing her with my throbbing hard dick. I wanted this to be about the love I felt for her, how I cherished her and not about my urgent incessant need for her. That would never stop, that would never lessen and there would be plenty of time to show her how much I wanted her but right now was the time to show her she was cherished, worshipped, and loved more than I ever knew I was capable of.

I pulled away from her just enough to look at her beautiful face, placing both of my hands on either sides of her face while I held my body up off of her using my elbows and forearms. My eyes locking on hers as I moved my body closer to hers I position myself between her legs feeling her hot moist center had my dick responding on its own by jumping in anticipation of the feeling of her wrapped tightly around it.

"I love you." I tell her as she smiles at me cupping my face with her hands.

"I love you too." She says as I slowly push myself inside her she pulls me down to her to claim my lips which I quickly respond by deepening the kiss as I once again have the overwhelming feeling that I had just come home.

**Let me know what you think…Leave a review…one more chapter and the story will be complete!**


	48. Chapter 47: A Opened Heart

**Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! For those that have Private messages turned off that left Reviews thank you for the reviews! I love reading every one of them so keep them coming.**

**I want to Thank Margaret Fowler for encouraging this story out of me. When I mentioned it to you 6 – 7 months ago you didn't let it die in my head. You kept pressing for it so here it is finally being written! I hope it is everything you thought it would be.**

**Standard Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine. They belong to JE I just take them out of the box and play with them a little. I have begged to keep Ranger and Lester for myself but I have yet to get a response… **

**I must apologize for the delay in posting the final chapter. I had a tough time letting this story go to write the final chapter. I hope you enjoy the final chapter of Opening of Closed Hearts.**

**Chapter 47: A Opened Heart**

**SPOV**

"Yes." I exclaimed as the excitement bubbled out of me before I could stop it. I quickly glanced around to see who was around me.

"Steph, what's got you so excited this morning?" Ram asked me and I shrugged, shit.

"Nothing really I think I found some information that I had been asked to track down." I lied hoping it was good enough that he wouldn't ask too many questions. He looked at me narrowing his eyes slightly but then shook his head and turned back around. Whew, I think I pulled that little white lie off.

I had finally found it, the perfect rhinestone collar. I had been looking for weeks but I wasn't about to give up on looking I knew I would eventually find one. There had to be one out there and I had found it. I stole a look at him wondering how big his neck was.

I pulled out my cell phone going through the directory and sent a quick text message.

'I found it. Do you know the size?' I sent it and was anxiously waiting for a response. I was trying my best to disguise my excitement because my squeal had already given away my excitement. I had covered it somewhat. Even if it wasn't believed it wasn't challenged so I had gotten away with it but anymore outbursts and I would be busted.

I quickly remembered to kill the sound on my phone it wouldn't do any good to hear the little chirp of a text message received. I looked over my shoulder to see if anyone was watching me. No one was standing there and Ram was facing his computer. It was all good.

'How am I supposed to know?' Was the response from my text message that I received. Great did they not know how to do anything? I looked at Ram again he was so going to catch me if I continued.

'What's the size of your neck?' I quickly typed and sent back to him.

'My neck size is 20.' He sent me back. I stole another look over my shoulder it looked like Ram's neck size might be slightly bigger. Ram was bigger bodied but shorter than Lester. I wondered how big Cal's and Hal's neck were. I needed to do a little recon.

I got up from my desk pretending to stretch making sure I locked my machine so no one could see what I had found. It was going to be my secret, well mine and Lester's but I knew he wouldn't say anything. I picked my phone up because I didn't want anyone seeing the text messages and I needed to be able to text Lester.

I sent him another quick text. 'You think Ram's neck is the same as Hal or Cal?' I walked out of my cubicle. Ram turned around looking at me smiling.

"Just going to stretch my legs for a little bit." I told him and he nodded.

I made my way out of our cubicle area taking another glance at my phone. Lester was being slow at texting me back, or maybe I was just being impatient.

'Maybe I don't know closer than mine.' Was his reply, a lot of good that was going to do me. I mean sometimes when you want something done you just need to do it yourself. I went in search of Cal.

He was sitting at his desk and I happen to notice a chain around his neck. I got excited. I walked over and gave Cal a hug from the back. He jumped a little when I grabbed him and I smiled. I had just snuck up on a Merry Man for the first time. I was so use to them startling me and now I had finally gotten my first one. I couldn't help but smile.

"I am not going to say it…but you know what you need to do." I told him my voice sounding as serious as I could make it without bursting out in laughter. He just shook his head turning in his chair towards me.

I took advantage of the long legs and just sat down on his knee. I picked up his necklace looking at it, it was a skull, I could have guessed that much. It almost matched the one on his forehead minus the flames.

I would have said it was cute or something like that, but really what do you say about a skull pendant? So I just dropped it. "What size chain is that?" I asked Cal and he just shrugged. I really wanted to shake my head at these men. I didn't want to just come out and ask him how big his neck is because I knew it would lead to other questions. I started to take it off of his neck and put it on mine and see the difference but that wouldn't have really told me what I wanted to know as the chain didn't really fit him as a choker.

"How is your day going?" I asked figuring I would make a little small talk as I was there and didn't want to draw too much attention to why I was there. He looked at me and I could see the question in his eyes but he smiled and answered.

"It's okay, better now that you are here." He said smiling. I smiled back at him.

"Well I am glad I could help make your day better, but I guess I got to get back. I was just stretching my legs for a little bit and saw you here thought I would say hi." I said standing up I kissed the skull on his forehead and made my way out of his cubicle. I needed another way to measure his neck. I made my way to Lester's office.

"Hey Lester" I said walking in without bothering to knock, I looked up and there was Carlos in his office.

"Babe" he said when I came up short frozen and embarrassed from just walking into his office.

"Hey Beautiful, what's up?" He asked me and I turned to look at Lester.

"Well you are busy, I will come back." I said starting to retreat and he shook his head no.

"It's okay we were just shooting the shit, nothing important. What's up?" He asked and I smiled. I was busted no way was I getting out of this office without Carlos knowing what I was up to. Shit.

"Well I am still trying to figure out how to get Ram's neck measurement. I tried Cal but he didn't know how big his own neck was." I said and Lester looked weird.

"He didn't know his dress shirt size?" Carlos spoke up asking and I shrugged.

"Well I didn't ask him that, I just asked him how long the chain around his neck was and he didn't know. I was trying to ask him under the table without specifically asking neck size." I confessed.

"Babe, hold on." Carlos said as he pulled his phone from his waist and started dialing. "Hi, fine, I need Ram's neck size." He said waited for a minute then continued. "Thank you, that will be fine." He said and hung up. He looked at me smiled and said "Babe his neck size is twenty-two inches, if you need to know his shirts have to be custom tailored, according to Ella." So he had called Ella, I should have thought about that. Ella knew everything.

I had to control myself to keep from squealing from the excitement of now being able to order his rhinestone collar.

"Is there a reason you needed to know that, Babe?" Carlos asked me and I knew he was fishing but I just looked at him unsure if I should answer him or not.

"If I tell you, are you going to keep from doing what I have planned?" I asked him trying to decide if I should tell him.

"It depends on what it is you have planned." He said smiling at me. I could tell by his eyes he was having fun trying to get me to confess. I looked at Lester hoping maybe he would have the inside scoop on whether or not to tell him the actual truth. He shrugged his shoulders smiling at me once again being mister over helpful.

"Well I was going to buy Ram something and I needed to know his neck size." I told him part of the truth just not divulging what it was I was actually going to buy. Carlos' lips twitched into what it looked like to be a smile.

"What are you buying him?" He asked me and I know my eyebrow's shot up into my hairline. Damn what was I going to say?

"Huh?" I asked which sounded so intelligent.

"Babe" he said knowing he didn't need to repeat his question. He knew I had heard him.

"A collar." I said, once again only telling him part of it.

"A collar?" He said, repeating what I said his lips bending up into a smile. It was sort of the equivalent of someone handing me birthday cake. Carlos was having fun at my expense.

"Yeah a rhinestone collar." I finally confessed. And if I hadn't seen it for my own eyes I would have said it never happened, Carlos barked in laughter. His laughter was like wonderful music to my ears and I couldn't help but join him in his laughter.

"Babe" He said grabbing ahold of me and pulling me to him hugging me. I wrapped my arms around him and held him to me. He gave me a kiss which I quickly returned but before we could deepen it Lester had to spoil the moment by whistling.

"Whew you two need cool it down you are heating up my office." Lester said fanning himself and I wanted to smack him but I settled for sticking my tongue out at him and giving him the finger causing Lester to laugh shaking his head.

"Anytime beautiful, you name the time and the place I will be there. Just leave this lump behind." He said laughing.

"Santos, zero five hundred." Carlos said wiping the smile off of his face and the laughter from his voice as he just nodded his head. I shook my head wondering if he would ever learn. The thought that he would never learn made me laugh out loud.

"Somehow I sense that laugh is because of me?" Lester said and I nodded my head.

"Don't you know it isn't nice to laugh at people?" He asked me trying to sound as though he was upset with me, I could see the laughter behind his eyes.

"Well normally I would say I was laughing with you but in this case I am definitely laughing at you." I said to him laughing even more. He grabbed his heart.

"Oh Beautiful, you wound me." He said I just shook my head at his theatrics. I threw my hands up beside my head and tilted it to the side for his answer.

"Well I got to go you know things to do places to go and people to see." I said in a sing song sort of voice as I made my way out of Lester's office I heard the one word that made my heart swell and butterflies swirl in my stomach.

"Babe" I couldn't help but smile. I raced back to my desk to place my order.

I had finally agreed about a week ago to collect a paycheck from Rangeman. It was the result of our first argument as a couple. I didn't feel like I had paid back the money I had cost him and I wanted to continue to work without pay but he insisted after he got back from speaking with his handler that I draw a paycheck. My first paycheck was deposited in my account that Friday. I wasn't even sure if I had agreed before the deposit was made but regardless by the time I found it I had agreed so I wasn't going to further push the issue.

I disagreed with the amount of money that was deposited but I was told that was the starting pay rate for new employees. I sort of felt like that wasn't the entire truth but when I asked Tank, Lester, and Bobbie separately they all said that was the starting salary. I was just glad that today I had the money to order Ram's collar. So I wouldn't complain at least not today.

I practically ran back to my office rounding the cubicle forgetting about Ram I crashed right into his chest.

"Ow." I exclaimed as strong hands reached to grab me succeeding just before my ass hit would have hit the floor.

"Wowah there Steph, you okay?" I heard Ram say I opened my eyes as he brought me back to my feet. I nodded my head. I was okay.

"How is the arm and leg? Did you twist or hurt anything?" He asked and I shook my head no. I was fine. I had just gotten the cast off of my arm and was able to remove the walking cast from my leg.

"Ram I am fine. Thanks for keeping me from falling. I am sorry I crashed into you. I was just in a hurry to get back to my desk…" I said realizing I almost gave away why I was in such a hurry. "I just remembered I had something running that I needed to check on." I said quickly trying to finish my sentence as though that was what I was going to say.

I was never good at covering stuff up. I really needed to quit the whole keeping secrets thing. The thought made me want to laugh at my current life. Living in a building full of men that specialized in keeping secrets life could be completely ironic at times. I shook my head to clear those thoughts as I stepped around Ram, apologizing once again for just about running him down and walked into my cubicle sitting down in my chair. I look behind me just be sure that Ram had cleared out before I pulled up the webpage and added the Rhinestone collar in his size to my cart. I glanced once more just to make sure no one was behind me as I completed the sale.

Now I just needed to figure out how I was going to give it to him.

"Steph" Bobby said as he grabbed the back of my chair which caused me to scream in surprise.

"Bobby, what the hell? You want me to have a heart attack?" I exclaimed grabbing my chest my breath coming quickly.

"I am sorry Steph, but you …" I glared at him.

"Don't you dare say it!" I said my voice getting slightly louder than I intended. "I was sitting here doing my work and you just walk up behind me grab my chair and call my name and expect me not to react." I said stating the obvious causing him to smile and laugh.

As I caught my breath I noticed Lester, Cal, and Ram all standing behind Bobby. I smiled at them.

"You okay there Beautiful?" Lester asked and I nodded my head.

"Yeah heart is still ticking although I am pretty sure it just had a few years shaved off of it." I told them smiling. They didn't laugh or smile at my attempt to be the comedian. They were a tough crowd.

"Angel, please don't joke about your life being shortened. " Cal said and I once again felt that overwhelming feeling rise in me. I found myself unable to respond so I nodded letting him know that I understood.

Bobby spoke up "Steph, Ram said that you almost fell down when you ran into him. I just came by to see if you were okay." He said.

"I am fine. I ran into Ram but he caught me before I fell and there was no pain in my arm or leg. I am okay." I told him. He looked at me and nodded.

"Okay well let me know if something starts to bother you." He said and I nodded.

"Okay but from now on let me hear you coming or say something before you grab me or my chair." I warned him he smiled and nodded before standing up turning and walking out of my cubicle.

I couldn't help but think of all the commotion one collar has caused. I wanted to laugh but I decided there had been enough laughter and weirdness for the day and settle down to do some work. I needed to earn the paycheck that would be deposited into my account on Friday.

I had been sitting in my chair engulfed in the search I was doing. I had a feeling about this person that something wasn't adding up but I wasn't able to find out what about the information was unsettling. I keep digging into the person's life. His finances, his history, his family, where he had lived, where he had gone to school I had scanned it all. However, there was something about the information that just didn't add up.

I felt frustration rise within me as each search completed only showing nothing seedy yet when I looked at him I just got the feeling he was seedy that something wasn't right about him. He had secrets and I was determined to find out what those secrets were.

I was deep within reading a report following money can get tedious. Tracing to see where the money in his accounts came from, was the money was accounted for, taxes paid on the money, etc. It was detailed work that took patience and an eye that picked up on patterns both normal and abnormal.

I was looking for that one piece of detail that would stand out, that one piece that would tell me I was right. I knew I was right; I could feel it. "Avaro Stravos" was hiding something and he was going way out of his way to ensure that it wouldn't be found. Was it drugs, was it money laundering, was it something else? I picked the picture up again looking at him. I picked the news articles I have found up about his businesses, his volunteer work, his pledges to charities and good cause foundations he looked like the perfect American philanthropist. He was highly educated graduating from the most prestigious schools with the highest of honors obtainable. Reading about him he was the kind of guy that others should look up to someone others should aspire to be but I saw something else when I looked at his pictures I just couldn't put my finger on what it was.

He was our client, well our to be client, we had been contracted to design a security system for his business and his incredibly ostentatious home or I should say mansion at twelve thousand square feet. It came equipped with two kitchens, an indoor pool, a state of art theater room, there were servant quarters. If you could imagine something being in a house this house had it.

I picked up a picture of the house huffed and tossed it back down. The money seemed legit the businesses seemed legit. The income from the businesses all accounted for. Deposits, withdrawals from all accounts all accounted for. The money within the different businesses and his personal accounts were all legit. I blew out a breath of frustration. This would be a big account for Rangeman but I had this unnerving feeling that Rangeman shouldn't be in business with this man, or any of his businesses but I had nothing to go on other than my feeling.

I couldn't go look at Carlos and say I have this feeling we shouldn't setup a system for this man or his businesses because I have a feeling. I needed something concrete, yet I had nothing.

I picked up his picture again and looked at it willing myself to figure out what it was about this man that set me on such an edge. I had never seen him before in my life. I had never even heard his name before today.

I clicked to my email sending Lester and email asking him when we were supposed to meet with Avaro. It didn't take him but a minute two to answer me and I blew out another breath of frustration when I read that the meeting was for tomorrow morning and I was going to be meeting with him by myself. I cursed under my breath.

Looking back at his picture I had to admit he wasn't a bad looking man. He had chiseled features a strong jawline, lines that would rival that of a model. I could see where the women would like him he was tall, broad, and while I couldn't see beneath his expensive tailored suit you could tell he had a muscular frame one that would make women fall at his feet and make other men envy; if men did that.

I thought about Carlos and the men here at Rangeman and I decided none of them would have a reason to be envious of him but then again these men weren't normal men. There weren't men like the Rangeman in the world well unless they were Rangeman. At least I was beginning to believe that. The more I met the more they fit that statement.

I tossed his picture back on my desk along with all the other reports I had printed the notes I had made the links I had made all for nothing. I pushed away from my desk. I needed air. I hadn't even noticed the time until I moved out of my cubicle and noticed Ram's desk empty his machine dark. I looked around the office and it seemed like it was bare boned.

I looked into Cal's cubicle, it was dark. How late was it? What time was it? Where was Carlos? I made my way down the hallway where the offices were. Tank's door was closed so I wasn't sure if he was in his office or not. Carlos' office door was open and I could tell there was a light on. I walked up and tapped on the door frame. I wouldn't just barrel into his office the way I had Lester's earlier.

"Babe, everything okay?" Carlos asked me and I smiled and nodded. I could see his eyes knit together as he pushed his chair back from his desk standing.

I walked into his office and plopped down on the sofa. "Yeah everything is okay, just frustrated" I said and he walked over putting his arm around me as he sat down beside me.

"What has you frustrated, Babe?" He asked me I could hear a little uncertainty in his voice.

"I am running a background search on the client I have meeting with tomorrow and something just feels off." I told him.

"Babe, are you still working? You been upstairs at all?" He asked me and I looked up at him I shook my head, no.

"Babe when is the last time you ate something, or drank anything?" He asked me and I looked at him I had no idea. I didn't even know what time it was right now.

"What time is it?"

"Babe it is twenty one hundred hours." He said and I crunched my nose and eyebrows together piercing my lips trying to figure out exactly what time that was. This military time telling was kicking my ass couldn't they just say the time like every other normal American?

"Nine o'clock Babe, it's nine o'clock. I was just finishing up. I was looking forward to meeting you up in our apartment." He said as he pulled me toward him. He started kneading my shoulders and it felt so great releasing the tension I had been feeling while I was researching Avaro.

His lips met my neck and felt that tingle of desire coil deep within my belly. My head fell back against him as his hands skimmed around my sides to my front. The feel of his large strong hands on me had bolts of electric running through out me all ending deep within my core. I felt the muscles clench within me and release as I felt his hands skim over my clothed breasts. I felt my nipples harden and pebble with desire. They wanted his tongue, his mouth, the feel of his teeth clinch down on them just to the point that pleasure met pain.

My breath quickened with desire as my heart started racing the blood pumping through every vein within my body had set me on fire.

I shifted so I could turn towards him I needed to taste him. I needed to have him in my arms, touch him hold him, feel him. He stood up taking me with him. My legs raising up to wrap his hips I wasn't ready to let go of the man within my reach.

He walked a few steps and I heard the door shut and lock as my lips had sealed against his. I felt my back hit the wall with a thud his hand at the back of my head kept my head from hitting the wall. His strong body pressing me further into the wall had flames of desire flaring from my body to the point that it heated the room.

I could feel him hard as he pressed further into my core. I needed these clothes to be gone. It was as if he read my mind and he loosened his grip on me and stepped back dropping my legs to the ground. I wanted to protest but I needed to shed these layers between us. I pulled at his t-shirt releasing it from his pants. He quickly jerked it over his head using one hand. Soon as I think this man couldn't get any sexier he proves me wrong that single move has me fanning my face to cool myself.

My hands plaster themselves on his beautiful tight muscles that bulge and ripple with my touch. His eight pack abs his beautiful chest muscles. So lickable so beautiful that God would be envious of Carlos. He had to be a demi-god. He was certainly carved from pure perfection like that of a God.

I felt my shirt leave my body and I could only think faster, please God faster before I self-combust. He dropped down to his knees his tongue working its way across my belly and down had me knotting my fingers in his hair holding him to me. I felt the button my pants give way and my eyes rolled back in my head as my head pressed back against the wall to keep me on my feet.

I felt my boots being undone as his tongued worked his way across my lower belly to my hip where he sucked in some skin between his lips and teeth sucking that had me gasping for much needed oxygen. I was ready to cut the boots off, cut the clothes off. I just needed this man buried deep within me; now.

"Carlos, please." I begged you could hear the begging in my voice. The need, the desire, the want all in my voice echoing off the walls or maybe that was me saying it over and over I wasn't sure. My brain had long checked out due to the desire that was boiling up within me and flowing over.

I felt my bare feet hit the floor and I wanted to scream halleluiah from the top of my lungs. I grasped at him pulling him up my body feeling his tongue swipe up my body had me trembling and burning I wanted that tongue as much as I wanted his hard dick encased within me. I clawed at him to get him up to the point I could reach his belt releasing it I quickly undid his button and zipper I couldn't help but open my eyes looking down to watch his hard beautiful dick spring forward out of his pants.

I had the desire to drop to my knees to taste him. I knew the taste of him, I knew the smell of him and I could never have enough of either of them. My mouth watered at the thought I started to drop letting my knees give out but he caught me lifting me as he pushed me harder into the wall as my legs came up wrapping around his hips. I felt him pushing against my center and a moan escaped my lips just before his lips fused with mine. My tongue seeking out the recesses of his mouth wanting to relish in his taste I flattened my tongued swiping it against his mouth.

I gasped when he pushed all the way into me reaching deep within me in a single thrust. Oh god he was so big, so hard and my body quivered with the feel of him. Nothing felt better than having him buried deep within me. I tightened my hold on him not wanting him to retreat from my body I wanted to keep him exactly where he was forever.

Even with my protest he started moving pumping in and out and my head swirled with what every move was doing to my body. White light bursting behind my eyes and white heat filled me working its way from my toes slowly taking over my body. I was ready to explode come to pieces at every seam. My breathing was in forms of gasps of air as my mouth and tongue devoured every inch of his delectable skin I could reach.

There were moments when all I could do was just hold on as he pounded into me his breathing eradicate I felt the sweat on both of our bodies as they came together and retreated the heat between us reaching a degree that I knew would end up consuming us as we came together grinding against each other grasping and clawing at each other. Everything had been forgotten but what was in our hands, what our mouths were devouring, and what our bodies were doing to each other. I heard the cries of ecstasy before I realized that they were coming from my mouth my lungs my body.

I have no idea what else was flowing from my lips but I am pretty sure it was something along the lines of Carlos being a God among men and how I never wanted him to stop. My voice was thick and deep with the lust that was flowing through my body like water through Nile.

My muscles tightening down on him holding him inside me as my body convulsed around him had my vision going dark I fought for conscious as every muscle in my body screamed for more my nerves heightened to a point that I thought I would fall to pieces if he moved another inch. My muscles throughout my body rigid hardened holding and quivering yet the muscles deep in my core pulling him in milking him.

He attempted to move pushing in and trying to retreat but with little to no success explosions were sounding off behind my eyes throughout my body. I vaguely heard echoes of my name bouncing off of the wall as I felt him explode within me. Liquid heat filling me as his incredibly hardened dick pulsated and quacked against the walls deep within me.

We dropped to the floor as his legs gave out but always thinking about me it felt more like we just sat down my body still wrapped around him, him still buried deep within me. I felt my body go lax around him as my head rested on his shoulder. I was gasping for air fighting to keep my eyes open. I had never in my life experienced anything so intense in my life.

I am not sure how long we had sat there my eyes had long lost the battle and closed as sleep had claimed me. I was brought to consciousness by the ringing of a cell phone. I looked up just as Carlos pulled the phone to his ear. I laid my head back on his shoulder turned to face him. His arm wrapped around me holding me to him.

I knew it was a man on the phone as I could hear a man's voice but I couldn't tell what was being said or who it was. I couldn't hear the voice well enough to know if it was someone that I knew or not but I felt him tense up under me and not in a good way. I knew something was wrong.

"Let me know what you find out." I heard him say as he disconnected the call.

I rose up from his shoulder searching his face and eyes which were hardened. "Hey what's wrong?" I asked him. Believing I wasn't the cause of the sudden hardness I was seeing. His eyes no longer soft though when he looked at me they softened to the point that had me smiling.

"Santos was shot at." He said and panic rose up in me.

"Is he okay? Did he get hurt?" I quickly fired questions back to him finding the strength that wasn't there two minutes ago to stand and start retrieving my clothing from the floor.

Carlos following my lead shook his head no. "He is okay, they missed him. He got lucky." He said and I stopped and looked at him.

"So you think he was a target of an attack?" He shook his head no. So what did that mean he went after a skip and got shot at, he got caught in cross gunfire? I needed more information.

"Carlos you have to tell me something I am going out of my mind here." I confessed to him. Lester was my best friend I needed to know why someone was attacking him. Did Lester get the guy?

"Babe, calm down he is okay, we will figure out everything else in a little bit." Carlos said way to calm and collected for me. I wanted to scream I didn't want to be calm. I didn't want figure it out in a little bit I wanted to figure it out now. I needed to know now. I was ready to hunt the bastard down who had tried to hurt my friend.

"Carlos what aren't you telling me?" I knew there was more. There had to be more he knew that he wasn't sharing. Could he not share the information was it something secret.

"What was Lester doing?" I asked him thinking I would maybe need to tackle this in a different way. "Where is he? Is he coming back here? Can he make it back here?" I said my brain firing question after question as the adrenaline pumping through my veins had everything working at super speed timing.

"Babe he was in my car. You have a meeting tomorrow and I wanted for there to be a few more safety features on my car before you went out in it. He was shot at. They didn't hit him, he is fine the car took a few bullets that busted the back window, as well as rear view mirror and another passenger window." He told me and if he hadn't included that Lester hadn't been hit I think I would have passed out from fear his words had caused within me.

"So were they after Lester? Or you?" I said my brain once again just firing questions but soon as the question left my lips panic rose in me and I grasped him tight holding him to me. It could have been him. What would have happened had it been him? What if he hadn't been so lucky? I felt him pull me to him as I starting gasping once again for air but this time in quick successions I couldn't get air into my lungs no matter how hard I was sucking in. I felt him move me to the couch lower me down and push my head between my legs. Very much like Lester had done he told me push against his hand as if I had the energy to do that I was frozen with my fear that it could have been Carlos in that car.

"Babe I am okay, I am here. Nothing is going to happen." I peered at him from the side of my eye my thoughts I knew he could clearly read. "Babe I am not crazy. We will take care of this." He said as if this was everyday life. Was this everyday life? I mean it was only matter of days since the hit was supposedly removed from being on me. What if it was Carlos that now had the hit placed on him? Was it is handler? An enemy? Who the hell would want to put a hit on Carlos? Okay I didn't really want an answer to that question. I somehow felt like the list would be much longer than anything I would have been comfortable to hear or know.

"Babe Lester should be back in a few minutes." He told me and I felt myself calming down a little bit so he released the pressure on my head allowing me to sit back up. He picked his phone up dialed a number.

"Man, I need you, Bobby, Cal and Hector in my office, ten minutes." He said and disconnected the call. I didn't need to ask to know that he had called Tank.

I checked to make sure I was dressed, he was dressed it wouldn't be good to have them coming in here and I had forgotten my bra or god forbid my underwear in my hurry to dress. Guess Carlos didn't have to worry about forgetting his underwear as he didn't wear any.

"Babe" I heard Carlos say and I smiled at him, which he returned.

Time seemed to go slow but it wasn't too long before there was a knock at the door followed by the door opening and the men he requested walking through the door. I smiled when I saw them and when I saw Lester step through the door I was on my feet running towards him. I launched myself just before I reached him and landed against him hugging him to me. There were few times in life I had ever been this grateful.

The man that I had come to consider one my best friends was safe, unharmed, and back at home.

"Beautiful if this is the reception I get when I get shot at, I think I will get shot at more often." He said his voice light and fun filled with humor but there was no humor for me so I smacked his shoulder.

"Don't say that." I said worry filling my voice. I felt tears burn my eyes but I fought to keep them within. I mean he was okay he hadn't gotten hurt, he was okay. He had been lucky. I wasn't much for luck in my life usually the bad thing happened in my life. So I said a quick thank you to God for the one time allowing me to be lucky in keeping my best friend safe.

I finally let go and retreated back across the room to Carlos who opened his arms to me allowing me to perch myself on his lap. As he held me they began to talk.

Tank spoke up "Boss it seems like there is another hit out. This time the hit is you. I am not sure as I just got the information but we will find out more." Carlos nodded his head as though that news had no affect on him. I closed my eyes tight burying my head into Carlos chest trying to pretend I didn't hear the words Tank had just said.

"Okay, find out who is behind this. Do not discount anyone including Michaels. For now we all will step up security. Cal and Hector you know what I want you to do." He said not spelling it out but when I peeked out I saw both of them nodding their heads so it was no question that they understood what it was he expected. I wanted to ask but I didn't I refrained.

"Santos, you okay?" I watched as he smiled.

"Yeah boss never better. You know it's a good day when bullets are flying. Though I usually like it more when I am doing the shooting." He said again with the humor and I just shook my head as they bumped fists as though they had a round of drinks and were toasting something. I rolled my eyes thinking men.

I looked around the room seeing the men standing there and I sent another thank you to the heavens above. Had we not run into each other I had no idea where my life would be right now. But because we had, my life would forever be changed. I had a family I loved, a man I loved, a best friend that I loved, even a badass attack "Chinese crested" who would soon have a rhinestone bling collar.

There would definitely be dangers in this life. Things I had never faced in my life before them but having them in my life was worth facing every danger. It was worth giving all. I looked at them in the room and I couldn't help the tear that trailed down my cheek.

I saw looks of concern as well as questions within the different names that they called me but I couldn't speak I was overwhelmed. I just shook my head no letting them know I was okay. I hope they could read my mind that the tear they saw was a happy tear, a tear of love, a tear of being emotionally overwhelmed by the love and family that was surrounding me. They had become a part of me as they all held a place within my heart.

The End

**Let me know what you think…..leave a review.**

**I want to once again thank everyone of the dedicated readers and reviewers of this story! I am glad you have enjoyed it! I too am sorry to see it come to an end that is why this chapter was so late in the delivery I didn't want to give up the story, the characters. It was very difficult saying bye.**

**Anyway I hope you have enjoyed this story, please take a moment to leave a review I would love to hear your thoughts.**

**For those that have read my other story What does it mean to trust the sequel will begin after a break. I am taking a break clearing my head and then will be back with the sequel to What Does it Mean to Trust. I have yet to come up with a name for the sequel but once I know I will post something to the original story telling all the details. Story name, posting date, etc. I suspect it will be at least mid September before I start posting.**

**Thank you once again for coming on this journey with me through Opening of Closed Hearts. I truly hope you enjoyed the story.**

**Amanda**


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